Wizard's Choice, Wizard's Destiny
by Kalyra Shadowdancer
Summary: CHAPTER 20 UP! YES, AN UPDATE! Earth's world kernel is tampered with so that it randomly slips between myth and reality. While searching for a way to fix this, Nita and Kit end up with the fate of five galaxies in their hands. will be NK
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

****

Prologue

Senior Galactic Advisory Summit

Council of Five Galaxies

Alpha Centauri VI

100 years ago.

"It cannot remain here! It is a danger to any civilized world!"

"The representative of Zeon is correct in this," a second man stood to voice his opinion in the council, "however we also cannot afford to run the risk of not knowing where it is at any given time. Due to the incredible destructive capabilities of this tool, it is essential that it be located somewhere it can be guarded and observed."

"Objection! If we have the bright book, can it not reverse the effect of the dark book? Therefore if we have the one, why is it necessary to guard the other?"

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, my friend." The other councilor returned. "Large problems are infinitely easier to deal with when mostly or partially prevented. If we can prevent a disease from setting down roots in the first place, would it not take much less effort to uproot later? The same principle applies here."

"With a medical specialty are you not slightly biased on this subject?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps. In the subject of my examples, at any rate. But the principle is sound."

A new voice broke into the debate. "The senior advisory for the Orion Arm concurs with this assessment, councilor Nikez of Yazaan."

"Order please!" A man stood from the group of five senior galactic advisories seated at the head of the table. "Councilor Aqueera of Zeon, your argument shall still be considered, but we must also consider what may happen if the bright book, Powers forbid, is ever lost. If such a thing were to happen, the location of the dark book would become of crucial importance. Councilors, please be seated."

"If the council accepts that the dark book should indeed be guarded, who would be chosen for this task?"

The man standing at the head of the table sat back down amongst his four companions and they all deliberated briefly. He stood again. "The representative of Aria has brought up an excellent point. It is not the senior galactic advisory's wish to confer this burden forcibly on any world. It is at best, a risk, and at worst... well, we all have reminders of how it can be worse. Is any world here willing to have stewardship of the dark book, to guard it from use until such time as they are unable to accomplish this, due to extenuating circumstances, most likely concerning the Lone Power? We realize that it is a danger, but there is potentially greater risk if the book is not guarded. It is up to the council members. We will not force guardianship, but if no world comes forward, then we shall be forced to leave it on an uninhabited planet, which, in this advisory's opinion, could cause us greater damage later. If a world wishes to come forward, please feel free to speak now."

A young woman stood from her place at the council table, her thick jet-black hair swishing about her face and torso, the silver streaks in it shining eerily in the dimmed light.

"The Senior Galactic Advisory recognizes Councilor Sirena."

"The world of Vernalla would accept this guardianship." She said slowly and precisely, her voice sounding poised yet wary, and held an edge as if she expected to be rejected.

Sure enough, the Senior Galactic Advisory swiftly glanced about the table at the other members. "No one else? I say again, I will not force guardianship on any planet, least of all yours, Sirena. I know how much your people suffered. I will not downplay the responsibility and risk of this task. The Lone One will almost certainly be drawn to it, if not now, certainly at some future time. This will endanger the guardian world, and most certainly the guardians themselves. It is not a task lightly given or easily accepted. The Books have the power to change reality. The dark book's powers lie in destruction and darkness, remolding worlds into shadows of themselves. This power will seep out and taint its surroundings, and we cannot guarantee that wizards, even guardians, will be able to stop this, or even not be affected themselves. After its last encounter with your world, are you certain you wish to accept this task?"

The girl's green eyes took on a feral yellow tint. "The world of Vernalla understands the responsibilities and dangers and still wishes to undertake this task, despite said risks. We are capable, and more, we are experienced. Our last encounter with the book taught us more than any other world knows about it. We are the best suited to the task. The slowing of entropy is our common goal, Senior Advisor, and my world is in the best position to help in this situation. It would be against my oath not to act as I am now. This is not a personal redemption idea. Please do not single us out for special treatment. Yes we suffered, but so did other worlds. We are strong," her eyes went more yellow and her voice strengthened as she pleaded her case, "we recovered, we rebuilt. We have learned. Let us accept this task."

"Are all the wizards of your planet in agreement on this matter?"

Sirena's eyes slowly returned to green. "Yes, advisory, we are in agreement," her voice dropped, "all three of us."

"Then the council graciously accepts your generous offer. You shall be appointed guardians, and Vernalla the guardian world, may the Powers keep you."

"Thank you." Sirena sat back down, ebony and silver waves falling over the back of her chair.

As Sirena sat back in her chair, she felt a mind touch hers. _Was that a wise move, Sirena? The dark book on our world? Again._

"I was afraid of this," she thought to herself, but answered back, _I will not risk the safety of other worlds. We have learned since last time. The crystals can contain the effects. Our home held the book before, we can do it again. No other world is so equipped. If they take the guardianship then what happened to us will almost certainly happen to them. We have endured, our world has found a way to cope. We are more likely to survive than another world, as one inoculated against a disease is more likely to survive than one who is not._

I can see your reasoning and it rings of truth. I may not like it, but it is not my decision.

Then we are agreed, packmate?

You lead us. You know our minds and hearts, sometimes better than we know ourselves sometimes. You have never led us wrong. We trust you. I trust you. Yes, we are agreed.

The council does not understand our ways, Airon, or how one wizard can speak for all. she sighed. _Are they right? Is it right for me to do this?_

Sistermine, the pack is One. Together are we strong, together united under you. We will follow you, though shadows follow us. The eyes of night will watch over us.

A new mindvoice broke into the conversation, _Sirena, I hope you know what you are doing, _it growled. Before either could answer, the mindtouch faded.

_I smell the Shadows on him, sistermine. _Sirena could hear the soft growl in Airon's mindvoice.

__

Peace. I smell them too. All that transpired before has touched him in a way none of us can or probably will ever be able to understand. For now, only he can survive the caverns. We need him, but more than that, he is Pack. We must trust that he will help us do what is best for our home, and that what happened last time will not impede his better judgement.

The Shadows in the Deep are restless.

I have felt them, brothermine. Pray the night will quiet them. Vengeance is not for the dead. her mindvoice took on a harsh edge. _It should not even be for the living. All life is sacred; one single death increases entropy._

Tread carefully, packmate.

I shall, heartbrothermine. I shall. Hunt well.

_Hunt well. _Recognizing the familiar dismissal, Airon reluctantly acknowledged it and Sirena felt his mindtouch fade out.

Sirena closed her eyes and dropped her face into her hands. _Nighteyes and Silverfang, I hope I know what I am doing…_


	2. Silver Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

****

Chapter 1: Silver Eyes

"Kit, tell me again why most of these wizardries have to be done at the most unholy hours of the night?" Nita yawned and glanced at her watch, but it was too dark to read the numbers. Annoyed, she felt the edge of her watch face until she found the Indiglo™ button. The green face glowed illuminating the numbers. 2:07 am.

Kit laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh you are so much help." Nita grumbled.

"You're always grumpy this early. Let's just go before Sreee decides we aren't coming."

Nita yawned again, and managed to tell her feet to start walking. Kit smothered another laugh as she narrowly missed a lamppost, then took her arm and guided her down the streets to the harbor.

Three hours later the moon shone brightly down on the New York Harbor as Nita and Kit bid their friend goodbye. "Dai'stiho, Sreee." Kit said. Nita was yawning so hard, she was barely able to get the phrase out herself. Kit glanced at her. She put her hands to her eyes, trying to hold them open with her fingers, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

"Dai, hN'iit, K!t," and with a last exhalation through her blowhole, Sreee sunk back into the water and headed back out to the ocean.

Nita had given up on keeping her eyes open and simply stood with her eyes closed, leaning on Kit's arm.

"Ready to go home, Neets?" he asked her.

"Mhmm." She mumbled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he said, and reached back in his mind for his favorite 'beam me up, Scotty' spell, adding the last couple syllables. Seconds later, they were both in Nita's room. "I figured you wanted to walk as little as possible." Kit explained.

"Thanks Kit." She smiled at him sleepily. "G'nite." Nita flopped onto her bed without bothering to change into her pajamas and promptly fell asleep. Kit smothered a yawn in his hand, smiled, and pulled the blanket at the foot of her bed over her before activating the spell one more time, landing himself in his own room, where he copied Nita.

The first thing Nita was aware of was a faint buzzing in her head. At first, she ignored it, sinking back into sleep, but it grew steadily louder until it invaded her consciousness with an intense barrage of noise.

"Shuddupinfernalcontraptions." Nita muttered, reaching a hand blindly toward her night table to silence her unforgiving alarm clock. "Wursat blasted button," she mumbled. Her hand knocked two figurines, some loose change, and a tube of lip chap off the table before her roving fingers found the smooth plastic surface of the digital alarm clock. She fumbled with the various buttons, eyes blurrily trying to focus enough to read the small print beside the buttons. As the red numbers came slowly into focus, she managed to hit the 'snooze' button. _Ten minutes, _she thought to herself.

Morning Neets. A much too cheerful voice rang in her head.

Kit?! You have no right to be so … awake. Nita grumbled crankily at him. His mindtouch lightened and Nita could tell he was laughing, if not actually, certainly mentally. Which didn't do much to improve her mood. She mentally glared at him and set about the task of finding something to wear to school.

There's no talking to you in the morning Kit said playfully. Seeya at school. His mindtouch faded.

Nita dragged a pair of jeans out of her not-quite-dirty-enough-to-be-washed-but not-clean-enough-to-be-put-in-the-closet pile and put them on, then wandered downstairs to forage in the laundry room for a t-shirt. By the time she was fully dressed, the alarm clock went off again. Nita switched it off and yawned her way back downstairs and through a bowl of Cheerios. The food managed to wake her up enough that she remembered to grab her work for her group's final science project and stuff it in her knapsack. Dairine, who'd been up for an hour already, slid out before Nita, who turned around to lock the door.

"So, how'd it go last night?" Dairine questioned.

"Alright I think. We'll know how effective it is when Kit and I go back to check on it in a few weeks."

Dairine nodded sagely.

"So what are you working on?" Nita asked as they walked.

"Spot and I have a meeting with the planetary advisory about how immigration to the Orion Arm needs to be stemmed, and how the orbit of Jupiter is affecting solar particle rays… that sort of thing. Oh, and something about a central worldgate malfunction."

"But you don't work on worldgates." Nita said.

"No, I just overheard it. I thought Kit might be interested, seeing as he's been into worldgates lately. Also, Grand Central's down again, so if you're planning any off-world travel this week, you'd better cancel."

"Well I wasn't planning on transversing the galaxy this week, so I think I'm safe." Nita mock-reassured her sister. Dairine rolled her eyes but smiled.

Suddenly Nita stopped and looked around, head tilted as if she was listening for something.

"What is it?" her sister asked.

"I'm not sure… did you… did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That. Just a few seconds ago."

"I don't think so. What was it?"

"I don't know. It felt wrong though."

"Wrong how?"

"I don't know."

"Ookay." Dairine said.

Nita just shook her head, then continued walking.

Dairine raised her eyebrows at Nita.

"Never mind… I must be feeling things."

"If you say so." Her sister replied doubtfully. "Are you ok, Nita?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Let's go. We're gonna be late."

"For the last day of school? Not like it really matters." Dairine shook back her hair.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You don't have Mr. Giles for Chemistry." Nita made a face. "We have to be on time even on the last day."

"Hey Nita, hello??"

Nita snapped back to see Kit waving a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry Kit. I've been feeling weird all day." She apologized.

"Weird how? Like sick? Or tired?"

"No, neither… more like, water. Gosh, this is hard to explain. Ok, you remember when I did all that stuff with the kernels?" After seeing his nod of confirmation, she continued. "Well it feels sort of like I'm looking for a kernel, but it's in water and the water is distorting my senses. Does that make any sense?"

"Sort of. Is this something we should be worried about?"

"I honestly don't know. But it's been bugging me all day."

"Let's go see Tom and Carl after school then." Kit said, looking concerned.

"Alright." Nita agreed. She opened her mouth to say something more, but just then a girl behind Kit caught her attention. The girl tilted her head to the side as though listening or feeling for or through something. Nita recognized the look; she'd been feeling that way all day. Suddenly the girl snapped out of it, and focused, her silver eyes staring straight back into Nita's. Just as Nita was about to call out to her, the bell rang and the girl flicked back her black silver-streaked hair and disappeared down a hallway.

"…but that's besides the point. Darn that bell. Oh well, at least it's the last day today. So, meet me at the flagpole after and we'll talk to Tom and Carl?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sure." Nita said, clueing back into the conversation. Kit gave her a questioning look, then excused himself off to math class.

"Hey Sarah," Nita called to a girl whose locker was beside her own.

"Yeah?" the girl answered, then spoke into her cell phone, "Uh huh, sure. No, I said two. I can't do four. Not on a Saturday. Ok, ok fine... just call me back after class and we can work it out. Yeah yeah, call Kirsten and tell her. Bye."

"Sarah, who's the girl with her locker by Kit's? The one with the black and silver hair?"

"Oh, you mean Silvereyes."

"Yeah I guess so."

"That's Electra. Weird kid. Sits across from me in Spanish and Biology. Why'd you wanna know anyway?"

"No reason." Nita said, waving her hand as if the question had just been a passing whim. "You have Biology now, right?"

"Yep, and I gotta go. Seeya." Sarah finished emptying her books out of her locker and into her bag, shouldering it as she left.

Nita spent most of Spanish thinking about Electra. She even tried catching her on her way out of Biology, but managed to miss her in the press of moving bodies crowding the halls. Finally she gave up and went out to the flagpole to meet Kit.

"What took you?" he asked, standing up straight from his leaning position against the pole.

"Just really crowded in there." Nita explained. "Let's go."

They made their way down to Tom and Carl's and were barely in the gate before a cheerful black dog with a crooked ear and a limp bowled into them, nearly knocking them over.

"Whoa there!" Kit put up his hands to fend off the dog. "Easy, easy."

The dog returned his paws to the ground and stood, wagging.

"Sorry!!" a voice called from the house.

"Hey Tom. New dog?" Nita asked.

"Yeah, actually. Showed up last week, and sort of adopted us. His name is Rigel."

"Hey there, Rigel." Nita reached down and petted the dog. Rigel gave an appreciative 'whuff', and trotted back toward the house.

"So what brings you two here?" Tom asked, once they were all inside.

"Nita's been feeling 'weird'." Kit said, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.

"Weird how?" Carl asked, coming down the stairs.

"That's what I said." Kit put in, around a mouthful of apple.

Nita explained about the feelings of distortion.

"I can't say I've ever heard of anything like this." Tom said. "But I don't think it's dangerous, if that's what you're worried about."

"Am I going crazy or something?" Nita asked. "Kit doesn't feel it."

"Kit never worked that intensely with the world kernels." Carl stated. "And no, you aren't going crazy. If anyone's crazy around here it's that dog." He gestured at Rigel, who was lying on his back with his head twisted at an odd angle, his tongue hanging out, and all four paws waving in the air. At the mention of his name, Rigel flopped over on his side and thumped his tail on the floor enthusiastically. Nita and Kit laughed.

"So what should I do?" Nita turned back to Tom and Carl.

"Well, we'll look into a few things. In the meantime, let us know if it gets any worse."

Nita nodded.

"Hey, well I gotta get home and feed Ponch." Kit broke in. "Seeya later Neets?" he looked at her.

"Yeah, ok." She agreed. Kit threw his apple core into the garbage and waved goodbye, petting Rigel's head on his way out.

"I'd better go too." Nita said. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Carl waved back at her.

Nita walked out the front door and closed it behind her. Kit was nowhere in sight. _He must have used that 'beam me up Scotty' spell again. Oh well. I need a walk._ Nita thought to herself, and set off home. Halfway there, she saw a flash of black and silver and saw Electra walk around the corner.

"Hey, wait!" she called, starting to run. "Electra!"

The girl paused, and turned back, silver eyes flashing. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk to you." Nita said.

"Why?"

"I saw how you looked at school. Can you feel it too? The… strangeness… " Nita trailed off, suddenly realizing how crazy she must sound.

"Like looking at things through water." Electra finished, her eyes going softer and her voice sounding faraway.

"Exactly!" Nita said, elated.

Electra's eyes narrowed and the silver in them was edged again. "I don't know anything. Leave me alone." She spun on her heel and walked away quickly.

"Hey! Wait!" Nita started walking after her.

Electra turned down a small alley and disappeared from view. Nita started to run, and turned down the same alley, coming out in a parking lot behind a couple of apartment buildings. _She can't be that far ahead of me._ Nita thought to herself, glancing around the lot. The only live things around were a couple of cats fighting over half a salmon fillet and a very large black dog scrounging in a garbage can. Nita pushed around the cans, trying to see if Electra was hiding somewhere.

"Please come out." She called. "I just want to talk to you about it!" The only response she got was a menacing growl from the black dog, which seemed to consider her a threat to his dinner. Nita backed away from it slowly. The dog took a few steps forward and growled again. Nita took tiny backward steps until she felt a brick wall at her back. She looked back at the dog, which now stood in front of the can it'd been foraging in, and Nita was painfully aware of how very big it was. It appeared to be a sort of shepherd cross, Nita judged from the pricked ears and the size, and the grayish streaks in its fur, but it looked too much like a wolf she'd once seen in a zoo for Nita's comfort. It stared at her with white fangs bared and burning eyes; at the time she thought she noticed something odd about those eyes, but she relegated that line of thought to the back of her mind and began edging sideways until she reached the alley. With a final look back at the dog - who hadn't moved - she turned and ran back the way she'd come.

It took her the whole way home to realize that the dog's eyes had been silver.

AN - I WILL be getting deeper into the plot in the next couple chapters - these two are important for background/introduction…. PLEASE R&R… let me know if I should continue. I will take flames, but if you're going to flame, at LEAST be constructive.


	3. What's Next?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

****

Chapter 2: What's Next?

Kit sat on his front porch, leaning over every so often to pick up a soggy greenish-brown tennis ball off the ground and throw it for Ponch to retrieve yet again. He had just finished throwing it for about the five millionth time when he glanced over to the sidewalk in front of the house and saw Nita walk right past.

"Hey!" he called.

She didn't even look over at him.

"Hey!" he tried again. "Neets!"

This time she blinked and shook her head slightly before turning and walking across the lawn towards him. Before she could reach the porch, she was intercepted by a flying black mass of fur. _HiHiHiHiHi!!!! Playwithmepleaseplease? _

"Ponch! Get off!! Are you ok?" Kit asked as he pulled the large black dog off her.

"I'm fine, it's ok." She scratched Ponch behind the ears and then threw the ball - which he'd dropped while tackling her - for him to fetch again.

"What took you so long?" Kit asked.

"It's a bit of a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere." He walked back to the porch, sat down, and touched the porch beside him, motioning her to sit. Nita sighed, and took the hint. She related the whole run-in with Electra, and the weird dog in the alley.

"It's ridiculous though, right? People who are also animals? Or whatever that was… I really am crazy."

Kit reached over and put his hand on her forehead. "Well you don't have a fever, so you're not hallucinating or delusional, and you don't talk like a crazy person."

"So what's your prognosis doctor?" she asked in a mock-serious voice.

"Seriously? I think there is definitely something weird going on. I don't know what it is, and I don't know if I'm ready to believe that people can become dogs or whatever, but there's something fishy about the whole business. I think maybe you should stay away from Electra, at least until we figure out what's up with your weird kernel feelings."

"But what if she knows what's up with my kernel feelings? If she has the same thing, maybe she has more information? She could be the key to everything."

"Whoa hold it right there. There is no 'everything' yet. We don't know anything for sure. Until we can figure out some more on our own, I don't think - Nita?" he broke off abruptly in mid-sentence as Nita's eyes rolled up, and she fell over backwards and hit the wooden boards of the porch with a soft thud.

"Nita?!! Wake up!" Kit knelt over her and grasped her hand. "Are you ok?? Hello? Neets? Nita, get up. You're scaring me now. C'mon, please!" Almost in answer to his plea, he felt her hand grip his, just a little. He let out a sigh of relief. "C'mon, that's it," he encouraged. Nita's eyes fluttered opened and she immediately groaned and put the hand Kit wasn't holding to her head.

"Ohh, that hurt."

"What happened?!" Kit demanded.

"It was - oww - one of those kernel feelings, like earlier. Only this one wasn't a searching, it was more of a tearing, or maybe shredding. I don't know. It was much stronger than the others. Weird."

"It was freaky. Nita, you just blacked out. This is serious."

"I'm fine, don't overreact. I just have a headache. You don't have any Tylenol on you, do you?"

"I think we should go back to Tom and Carl's."

"No! I don't want to worry them. I'm fine. Just get me some Tylenol."

"Alright, alright. If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Don't go anywhere." He warned, and disappeared into the house.

"Where would I go anyway?" Nita muttered to herself.

Five minutes later, Kit returned with the Tylenol, a glass of water, and an ice pack for her head. Fifteen minutes later, the Tylenol had kicked in and Nita was feeling practically normal again. After convincing Kit that she could walk without collapsing, she finally headed home. The whole way back she thought about worldkernels.

She pushed open her front door and went up to her room. Sitting down on her bed, she pulled her manual out of her claudication and flipped to the index. She muttered her way through the entries, sliding her finger down the page. "Aha! Here we go… Worldkernels… page 673." She paged through the manual till she found the section she was looking for. Most of it she had read before, when she had been working with kernels before, but as usual, the deeper she delved into the subject matter, the more information the manual made available to her. Soon the unit on worldkernels had expanded to nearly four times the size it had been before, yet she still hadn't located anything that related to her 'kernel feelings'. However she did discover quite a bit regarding the quantum physical theories that attempted to explain the phenomenon of the worldkernels. Most of it she didn't completely understand, due to the extreme level of complexity of the reasoning and theories used to define the concept, which, by itself was not clearly understandable anyway. The only thing she really understood amidst the technical and mathematical jargon was that each worldkernel was essentially the heart of that particular world, and that they had a large part in, and a rather peculiar relationship to how worldgates formed and operated. The worldgates appeared to network between kernels and form a sort of web, with the kernels being the connecting nodes. Variances in the frequencies of the kernels affected all the kernels connected to that node.

Nita was right in the middle of a chapter on worldgate hyperstringing techniques when Dairine rapped on her door.

"Come in," Nita called, without looking up.

The door cracked open. "Dad says to come down for dinner." Dairine reported.

"Mhmm." Nita said, nose still buried in the book. "I'll be down in a sec."

Dairine walked over and leaned until she could see the cover of the book. "Researching your new assignment?" she asked her sister.

"Yeahuh. Whoa! What?" Nita's startled face appeared over the manual's cover. "New assignment?"

"Yeah. You ARE on active you know. It says your status is on active. Well, I'll leave you to it. Don't be too late to dinner; it'll get cold."

As soon as Dairine shut the door on her way out, Nita flipped to her name in the back of the manual.

CALLAHAN, Juanita L.  
243 E. Clinton Avenue  
Hempsted, NY 11575  
(516) 555-6786  
power rating: 7.04 /- .5  
status: active  
assignment: subject classification currently withheld; in partnership (see RODRIGEZ, Christopher) - temporarily suspended  
period: indeterminate

Nita shook her head and frowned at the entry, then flipped more pages to locate a second entry, this one marked RODRIGEZ, Christopher. She scanned past the name and address to find the information she was looking for.

Power rating: 7.06 /- .7

Status: inactive; in partnership (see CALLAHAN, Juanita L.) - temporarily suspended

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would I be active and Kit not be? And what does it mean, our partnership is temporarily suspended?" She closed the manual and slipped it back into her claudication. Trying not to think too hard about this new turn of events, she opened her door and went down to join her father and Dairine for dinner. She would definitely have to discuss this with Kit later.

"About time!" Dairine huffed as Nita took her place at the kitchen table and began transferring mashed potatoes from the bowl in the middle of the table to her plate.

"I was busy." Nita said around a forkful of roast beef.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Nita." Mr. Callahan said absently.

The dinner conversation traveled from the food to the end of school, and finally to summer plans. It was then that Mr. Callahan announced that he'd had a call from Aunt Annie that afternoon. "How is she?" Nita asked. She'd had a special bond with her aunt since her trip to Ireland.

"She's quite well. Actually, she's moving."

Nita put her fork down. "Why is she moving? Where to?"

"Calm down. She's only moving to another part of Ireland."

"But why?"

"I don't know. Maybe you can ask her."

Nita looked at her father, puzzled.

"She wanted to know if you'd be interested in coming to visit and help her move."

Nita's face lit up. "Really? Of COURSE I'm interested! I'd love to go!"

"Wonderful. She said if you wanted to come, that we were to send you next Thursday, and she'd meet you at the airport."

"What about Dairine?" Nita wanted to know.

"Don't worry about me." Dairine said. "I'll have plenty to keep me busy here. Go on, you need a break anyway. And say hi to Aunt Annie for me."

Nita smiled and picked up her fork again, her uneasiness about the entries in the manual temporarily forgotten. She was going to Ireland! What would happen next?

A/N: Sorry this is so short. I WILL have longer chapters up soon! The next two at least should be longer. Be patient with me, this IS all going somewhere. And plz REVIEW! Thanks


	4. Captured

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill...

And now a note to my wonderful, wonderful reviewers!!!

brennavanilla - Yeah, it'll be confusing for a while, but it will all make sense in time, just keep reading! :)

Rizen Tsave - Thanks for reviewing! You know how much I value your input and thanks for putting up with me bouncing ideas off you all the time.

Wren Craven - Thanks for taking time to r&r! You are great! I hope I can change your opinion on action/adventure stories, even just a bit. They aren't ALL corny lol. And don' worry, I've got a good bit of angst planned for this fic.

Reading Redhead - thanks for reading! I'm glad I've caught your curiosity. Here's an update for you! Enjoy! :)

viper676 - don't worry, the moving thing is not permanent, and it DOES tie in with the story, not in this particular chapter (because this fic has two paralell storylines, which is why it's rather confusing) but it WILL tie in.

CrEsCeNt MoOn19 - N/K all the way!!! I completely support that pairing J The ireland thing is necessary, and Nita hasn't forgotten about Kit. He will be an integral part of this story.

Shima And Tempis - thnx for reviewing! I hope you keep reading !

**Chapter 3: Captured**

**The world of Vernalla**

**50 years ago**

The black wolf knew the forest well; every rustle, every scratch, every whispering breeze that danced through the trees. She raised her nose to the wind and read the air, searching, searching. Grimly she padded on, chasing one elusive scent that reeked of blood and death and shadows.

Even in the darkness of the forest night, the silver streaks in her black fur shone in the starlight. No moon shone in the starfilled sky that night. No moon to reveal dark deeds committed in the blackness of the world, a world cloaked in shadows; ever roaming shadows. And They were restless. On the few truly dark nights they wandered. True darkness - a rarity on the world Vernalla, planet of the four moons, yet once in a blue moon fate caused the TrueDark, a major eclipse where the light of all four moons was obliterated for several days. During this time, the shadows were free to wander, and wander they did, their stench wafting about on the wind, tangling with the scents of the forest, and the scent of one lone running wolf.

She kept running, the smooth flow of paws over ground, nostrils flared, breath coming in sharp inhalations and exhalations, the night wind brushing through her fur, eyes straining slightly in the unnaturally dim light. The memories washed over her again and her anger flared, powering her resolve.

She had been on her way to the Cavern of the Guardians when the darkness had begun devouring the sky for the first time in 200 years. An ill omen if there ever was one. She did not know what had led her off her original course and taken her to the Forbidden Places. It was an odd quiet tug on her heart, but once there she had immediately known _why_ she had been called there. Atop a huge flat rockface was drawn a diagram of a five pointed star. A pentagram. The lines of the diagram were of a suspicious dull wet crimson color. Blood. On the five points of the pentagram rested five bodies. In death, the bodies had reverted to their true wolf shapes, and she could see that at least three were barely more than pups. The throats of all five had been ripped out. A cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and blind rage grew in her mind. She had hoped never to see this.

The Sacrifice of the Pentacle was a very advanced dark magic. It was a magic of the deep places and in the right hands, or more correctly, the wrong hands, could summon great power to the worker of the ritual. She noted swiftly that there were no surrounding diagrams. She had found the forbidden ritual before its final phase had been completed. The things she had been learning in preparation for her coming leadership position, things she had thought a waste of time, stories of the distant past that could not possibly be relevant today, she now thanked her stars that she had learned. The Sacrifice of the Pentacle was the first step of three in one of the most advanced rituals of the Dark Arts. Since she had stumbled upon this one in the middle, it was impossible to tell which stage the attempted ritual had reached, but she knew that if she did not find the one responsible, more blood would be shed.

She refused to allow the peace her people had finally achieved collapse in a reign of fear and blood. The black wolf shook her head, as if to rid herself of the very possibility, and translated her determination into speed. Her nails dug into the turf, tearing up pieces of ground and flinging them behind her as she continued her relentless pursuit. Through the night and into morning they ran. Because of the time of TrueDark, even in the morning it was still pitch black. The wolves ran still, and the black wolf had closed much distance on her quarry. Now she caught occasional glimpses of his bright copper fur, which stood out in and amongst the blackness of the forest. Sometimes from a hill or ridge, his eyes glowed back at her like foxfire, as he turned back to check on his pursuer.

All of a sudden, she lost him completely. Bewildered, but cautious, she looked about for him. Not a rustle, not a scent. Impossible. She had followed him all night. He could not have disappeared so quickly. Slowly she began a search pattern, sniffing and searching in an ever widening circle, trying to locate the missing trail. As she searched, she noticed something odd about one section of the wood. It had no scent. At first she could not quite believe that, but once she was within the small area, she could not smell. She had not noticed exactly how much a wolf depends on its sense of smell until that ability was taken away from her. Without it, she felt extremely vulnerable. At least now she knew how his scent had disappeared. He had obviously walked through this section of the forest. Or perhaps he was still lurking here. Uneasily she walked on, hoping that the copper wolf had simply passed through here to confuse her and that she would pick up his scent again on the other side of this unnatural piece of woods.

She had not gotten far when she heard a rustle in the trees to her left. Wary, she crouched, teeth bared, and turned to look toward the source of the noise. Without warning, a dark shape hurtled out of the bushes on her right. She whipped her head around to look as her peripheral vision caught the movement, but was not in time to react by the time the shape collided with her and she went down in a heap of fangs and fur.

She fought blindly, tearing at the body atop her with claws and teeth, but the other wolf was much larger and stronger. His weight crushed her ribs and he fought through her strugglings until he gripped her throat in his jaws. She stopped fighting him, but her eyes burned with fury. Six more shapes materialized from the surrounding woods. The big wolf released her throat and let her up. She shook out her black coat and examined her opponents.

The big wolf that had just tackled her was obviously the Alpha of this pack. His storm-gray fur shone silver in the faint starlight as he growled at the others. Two wolves stepped forward on either side of their new captive. She sized them up. One male, one female. The male had a rust-colored coat and a large scar running down the side of his face from the base of his ear to the end of his muzzle. The other was a tall, lean white wolf with her left ear half-shredded. With her height and long legs, she looked to be a fast runner. Both wolves looked as though they had been in numerous fights, and if their scars were anything to go by, she did not want to know what the other wolf had come out looking like. Mentally she wrote off any escape options that required fighting or running.

The alpha wolf growled again. The copper colored wolf she had been chasing stepped out from the pack. The alpha stared him in the eye, and the copper wolf stared back. She could tell that they were talking in mindspeech. Eventually, the copper wolf broke the eye contact and looked down. The alpha nodded and growled softly at him, then turned and snarled something at the pack in general. All seven wolves began walking. The black wolf resisted half-heartedly and refused to walk. The rust-colored male snarled sharply at her and snapped at her flanks. She walked.

She didn't know how far they walked, or how long. After the long chase her adrenaline was finally running out, particularly since she wasn't running anymore. She managed, just barely, to continue putting one paw in front of the next, legs shaking, and all her muscles quivering. If she slowed too much, the male guard flashed his fangs at her. Finally they arrived at a large cavern burrowed into the side of a mountain. The alpha growled a few more commands, and then led everyone inside but the copper wolf, who lay down across the cavern's mouth.

Inside, the wolves sprawled around the large open space just inside the cave. Off to the back left corner was a tunnel leading deeper into the cavern. It was into this tunnel that the alpha proceeded, followed by the black wolf's two guards, who chased her ahead of them into the tunnel. Their claws clicked on the rough granite floor, and the black wolf pricked her ears to listen to the echoes that bounced off the tunnel walls. The sound lasted a long time. There could be thousands of tunnels all through the mountainside. How far would they go? Where were they taking her?

Eventually they came to a smallish room just off the right side of the tunnel. The alpha whuffed a dismissal to the two guards and cuffed the black wolf into the room.

_What do you want? _she asked.

_'What do I want'? he repeated. A good question. What do you think? _

_I don't know! _she barked back.

_Let me tell you something, young pup - _

She bristled at the title. _I'm no pup. _

_Silence! _he roared.

She cowered back against the wall.

_You have not even lived out your first hundred years. I will tell you whether you are a pup or not. Do you know who I am? _

The black wolf shook her head.

_My name is Raamath. You may not know me, but I know who you are, pup. Upstart young wizard you are, hmm, Avrina? Trying to follow in your mother's footsteps. Protect the worlds. Faugh. You make me sick. All of you. _Raamath paced restlessly around the room. The black wolf, Avrina, shrunk back from him until she was backed up against the wall; ears pinned to her skull and tail low and between her legs. Her body language was completely instinctual and uncontrollable, yet her human mind resented the fact that her wolf instincts could override her self-control to let him manipulate her so completely, seemingly without even trying.

Raamath continued, _Once we were nothing. One man changed that, gave us a chance to change, to go back and make another Choice. He had a vision, and he gave us power, power beyond anything we had imagined before; the ability to change our shape! Yet what do we do with this gift? We hide in the shadows and act as protectors. Good little dogs to be called on by others when they are in trouble, and hidden away and forgotten when they don't need us. Our powers suppressed and buried. Why should we stay hidden, when worlds are ours for the taking? Long has this struggle existed between us, the wizard and warlock, but we shall have the final word in this battle. We shall finish what our ancestor began and take back what is ours. The Shadows are waking. They will soon be free to roam once more. You cannot hold them. The Deep magic is waking and events that were set in motion long ago are coming full circle. The time of the wizard has ended. _

The black wolf, Avrina, trembled, her ears back in fear and anger. _You want the Book._ __she whispered softly.

The big wolf grinned, showing off a mouthful of sharp fangs. _Your eyes are opening, pup. _

_But how do I fit into this? I can't get it for you! Only the three Guardians can enter the cavern, the rest of us may only pass by the first Gate! _

_Oh, don't worry pup, I don't expect you to get it for me. _

_Then how -? _

_I'm certain your mother will be more than happy to oblige us. And if not, then we shall simply complete the Sacrifice of Pentacles. With the blood of a wizard in the final ritual, it should provide enough power to break down the defenses, particularly since the blood of two of the three Guardians who erected the Gates flows in her veins. _

Avrina gasped. _You wouldn't. _

_Oh, but I am. And don't even try mindspeech. The dampening field will block it, and you're not strong enough yet to figure out how to get around it. _

With a last snarl, he swept out of the room and began talking with the guards in the hallway. She warily unpinned her ears from their position flat against her skull, and listened intently. She heard wolfish voices begin a wizardry in what sounded like the Speech, but could never be. What she knew as the Speech was beautiful and flowing. This language was harsh and guttural; it felt of sharp edges and jagged broken glass. Seconds later she heard a heavy grinding, and watched as the entrance to the cavern was sealed off, a huge rock blocking every square inch of the doorway.

While she was still processing the loss of her freedom, and any chance for slipping past a guard, a cloud settled over her mental consciousness. Her mind identified it as the mindspeech-dampening field, but it did more than simply block mindspeech. It completely cut her off from her wizardry. Inside the field, she was powerless. Amidst the roiling mass of emotions churning in her head, she still managed to wonder at the ability of the warlocks. Holding this dampening field in place must be extremely draining, and it must have taken them ages to write a spell that would perform this particular function.

_Please mother, _She whispered quietly, knowing no one could hear her in this dark hellhole buried deep in the mountain. _Don't give them the book for me. _She could just imagine what Raamath and his warlocks could do with the Dark Book in their grasp. It could mean the destruction of everything, particularly during the time of the TrueDark. _Powers that Be, save us all. _


	5. Divergent Paths

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

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To reviewers:

RandoMaia - Thanks! Glad you like it :) and yeah I know what you mean about people who don't bother about spelling.. it irks me. I'm a bit of a spelling freak. And, yeah , I do read Tamora Pierce, I love her books, although I'd be curious to find out what in particular you think I based on the Immortals, because I must say, there have been certain books that DID affect this fic, some more consciously than others, I didn't think I'd borrowed anything from those particular books.

Reading Redhead - I think you are my most faithful reviewer :) thanks for your support! And yeah, since the wolf parts were my own idea and just incorporated into this fic, I think I tend to put a bit more effort into writing those chapters!

A/N - Ok, the site is not cooperating and won't let me keep my original spacing and stuff, so the horizonal line things are in place of my original spacers to indicate time breaks, ok? Ok. Enjoy, and please review! Thanks :)

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Chapter 4: Divergent Paths

Over the next couple of days Nita's house became a whirlwind of activity and she began to look for an escape from the packing and planning. Dairine noticed her sister getting more and more frustrated, and finally confronted her.

"Neets, you need a break."

"I need to finish packing." Nita search through the numerous piles of clothes on her bed, scattering clothes everywhere. "I'm leaving tomorrow. Could you please grab my blue shirt from that pile over there? The one with the - no over, over, yeah that one." She directed her sister.

"Here." Dairine handed her sister the missing shirt. "Seriously. Get out for a bit. Now."

"But -"

"No buts." Dairine took the clothes out of her sister's arms and pointed her toward the door.

"You need to talk to Kit anyway."

Nita couldn't argue with that. She had, of course, told him about her upcoming trip. He hadn't been exactly pleased about it, particularly considering their experiences last time. Combined with Nita's 'kernel feelings', which continued to occur sporadically, it hadn't gone well, to say the least.

/ Flashback

"You're _WHAT?_"

"I'm going to visit Aunt Annie in Ireland. It'll just be for a couple weeks."

"Neets!"

"What?"

"I don't think this is a good idea. Not with what happened last time, and not with these weird kernel feelings of yours. It's not safe. You'll be in a completely different country, without your usual seniors, and, jeez, Nita, _why_?"

"I haven't seen Aunt Annie in ages. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I haven't passed out again with the kernel things - "

"That's not the point! You did once, you could again, and I don't want it to be in some far away place where-" he stopped in mid-sentence, as though he had meant to say one thing, thought better of it, and was now searching for a way to finish what he had been saying in such a way that he got his point across, while not blocking her out at the same time.

"Where you can't watch out for me every second? Kit, I AM capable of taking care of myself."

Kit had the grace to look embarrassed, but his eyes still held a familiar glint of defiance. "I know you can take care of yourself. But I still don't like this situation. And nothing you say is gonna change my mind on this." He folded his arms across his chest. "I think you should stay."

Nita sighed. She hadn't wanted to play this card, especially since she wasn't sure about it. "Look Kit, I think this is bigger than just me going to Ireland."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"I think I _have_ to go. I have a sneaking suspicion that this trip will have something to do with what's been going on over here. Don't ask me how or why, because I honestly don't know; it just feels that way."

"Then you really shouldn't go. Remember what happened last time you got transferred because of 'something bigger'! I really, really don't want to go through all that again."

"Relax! It's not like I'm gonna reenact Moytura again! I just think I might be able to connect a couple of these jigsaw pieces in my head. I know you don't like it. I'm not even sure how I feel about it myself. I want to see Aunt Annie again, but at the same time, this is my home turf. Kit, this could be my one chance to find out what the hell is going on with me. Ireland has a reputation for weird goings-on. Maybe they'll know about this. Maybe there'll be someone else around who has had the same thing, who know how to deal with it and why it's happening. I don't want to spend the rest of my life having weird kernel feelings. They make me nervous, especially lately."

"Why 'especially lately'? You haven't been blacking out anymore have you?"

"No! I already told you I hadn't! The feeling has just sort of _changed_. Instead of just feeling like I'm searching for a kernel, I can sometimes feel the kernel itself. You know how each kernel is basically the soul of a world? Well, I can _feel_ that world… feel the people, feel the land, sometimes I get snatches of conversations or pictures of places I've never been. I assume they were different parts of the world that the kernel belongs to."

Kit shook his head. "I really don't like this, Neets. But you're right. If there's any place you might find someone that understands this, Ireland is probably it, and much as I don't like it, I do want you to find out what this is all about."

"Oh Kit," Nita sighed. "I don't know what's going on. I wish I did, I wish you could come, but someone needs to hold the fort down over here. This whole thing feels so big, and I really don't want to be tackling it on my own, but I don't know. I just…." She trailed off helplessly.

"Well, the fact that you've been switched to active and I haven't probably implies that it's something you have to handle on your own, and that I wouldn't be able to help with it anyway." His eyes flashed, hurt and angry at his own admission. "I still wish I could change your mind, but since I can't, and I'm not really part of this because it's been assigned to you, I guess I'll just deal."

"Kit, I -"

"I need to go, Nita."

She heard him begin a spell.

"Christopher Rodriguez, don't you walk away from me! That's not fair! It's not my fault!" she could feel hot tears on her face and swiped them away.

"I know." He said, setting a couple limitations on his spell. "I just have some things to think about. I'll talk to you later." And with that, he disappeared.

/ End Flashback

That had been two days ago, and they hadn't spoken since. Nita didn't want to leave the country on bad terms with her partner, temporarily suspended or not.

Dairine's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Go on, Nita. Carmen called a couple minutes ago and said he went to the moon."

"She called -?"

"He's been as miserable as you, and neither of us like dealing with it. Do you have any idea what it's like, living with half of a wizardly pairing, particularly if they aren't getting along?"

"Uh…"

"I'm just teasing. Well, mostly. You DO have to work things out with him though."

"But my packing -"

"Will wait. Go fix things between you two first." Dairine commanded.

"Alright, alright! I'm going!"

Dairine stood, arms crossed, in the middle of Nita's room, surrounded by things to be packed, and watched her sister expectantly.

Nita pulled the outline of the spell she wanted from mental storage, and filled in the last few words. The last thing she saw before the transport spell took hold was the half-smile on Dairine's face. _At least someone's happy _she thought to herself.

* * *

Kit stared moodily over the dusty gray landscape. The moon just wasn't the same without Nita. Nita. Even since their last conversation, he'd been meaning to talk to her. He'd thought long and hard about her trip, and longer and harder about the question of their partnership, to which the trip question had been a catalyst, a trigger that set off an issue neither of them wanted to deal with. Was this the Power's way of breaking them up? He couldn't imagine working without Nita. It had been hard enough when her mother died, and the rift that had come between them then was not something he ever wanted to experience again. Yet at the same time, partnerships don't just suddenly get put on temporary suspension for no reason, and the only reason he could think of was if one of the partners wanted to discontinue the partnership. And all he knew was that it certainly wasn't him. 

Just then, a soft whoosh of air broke into his musings. "Kit?" A familiar voice called tentatively.

"Over here." He answered.

Nita walked over and quietly took a seat beside him. They sat in silence for several minutes.

"Neets, I'm sorry." Kit said quietly, without looking at her. "I know this has to be harder on you than me, and I'm not making it easier for you, this whole thing with you going, and the kernel feelings, and our partnership status being temporarily suspended. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I couldn't think of any reason the status would change like that, except -" he could hardly bring himself to say it. " - except that maybe one of us didn't want to continue it. And since it wasn't me, I thought…" he trailed off.

"Kit! Did you really think that I wanted to break up our partnership?"

He was silent.

"I couldn't imagine doing wizardry without you," She said quietly. "Just let me say this now. We've been through a lot together, since we first met, and through everything, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have had with me. No matter what the manual says about our status, I just want you to know that you are my partner, not anyone else. We've come too far to let anything else dictate who and what we are. I don't want this to come between us. Please."

Kit turned to face her, and she saw in his eyes the doubts and worry that had been eating him up inside the past couple days start to melt away.

"Kit, I'm sorry too, for putting you through all this, what with leaving and everything." She shook her head tiredly. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'll be around." He smiled at her. "We're partners, aren't we? That's what we do - look out for each other."

"Well partner, we're almost out of air. Whaddaya say to some ice cream?"

"I say, sounds good to me!"

They did the transit spell together, weaving the spell in the Speech, each filling in the other's blanks as naturally as thought.

* * *

"So how long are you going to be gone?" Kit asked around a last mouthful of chocolate ice cream. 

"About three or four weeks." Nita replied.

"What all are you doing up there?"

"Well apparently my aunt is moving, so I'm supposed to be helping her."

"Moving? After she put her whole life into that farm?"

"I dunno. I guess I'll find out when I get there. I really hope she didn't sell the farm. I know how much she loves it." Nita stared at the remnants of her ice cream cone for a couple minutes in silence.

"What are you thinking about?" Kit asked her after a bit.

"Just that this will probably be our last time out together like this for a while. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Then we'd best make the most of it, hadn't we?"

Nita looked at him questioningly. That mischievous look of his was back.

"Well? Come on!"

Half bewildered, half-curious, she allowed herself to be dragged off by her partner.

* * *

The rest of the day passed much too swiftly. They went to the zoo and spent a couple of hours walking and talking, with each other and several of the various animals. Then they swung past Kit's house, picked up Ponch, and went to the beach. Swimming and playing fetch and lying in the summer sun took up the rest of the afternoon. Nita hadn't felt so at peace in a long time. Tired, but happy, she leaned her head on Kit's shoulder and watched as the setting sun colored the sky in shades of pink and brilliant orange, the grey clouds barely penciled in against the stunning display. They watched the last of the fading sunrays dancing on the water, until at last Kit mentioned that they had best be heading home before anyone began to worry about them. 

"Just a moment longer." Nita pleaded. She took a deep breath of the clean non-city air, and closed her eyes, relishing the last bit of the day's warmth.

Kit leaned back and resettled himself, content to just sit for as long as she wanted.

"I'll miss you Kit." She said suddenly.

"I'll miss you too. But it's not forever. I'll be around, and I'll be here for you when you get back."

"I'm glad. I'm glad we got the whole thing sorted out. I'd've hated to leave with us mad at each other."

"Me too." He looked at her. "I guess this is goodbye for now though, since we probably won't get much of a goodbye tomorrow." He sighed softly, and Nita could feel his breath in her hair. "Diverging paths, " he mused aloud. "I wonder where they'll lead us."

"Well, wherever they go, I know they'll meet at the end."

Kit smiled at her assurance. "I know that now. I don't know why I ever doubted it."

The sun finished setting and the dying light sparkled on the water.

Nita grumbled softly. "We'd better go."

"Yeah," Kit agreed. Unwillingly, he pulled himself to his feet, then helped Nita up and together they worked the transport spell.

The spell landed them in Nita's front yard. "Good night, Kit." Nita said, yawning faintly. "Thanks for today. I really needed it."

"Anytime." He replied. "See you tomorrow." She nodded and he disappeared, the surrounding air sliding into the formerly occupied space with the familiar 'whoosh'.

Nita half-skipped up her front steps and quietly slipped in the front door, then made her way upstairs to inspect Dairine's packing job and then go to bed.

* * *

Neither of them noticed the face in the upstairs window that had quietly watched them with a satisfied grin. "Come on, Spot. Let's get outta here before she gets upstairs." 


	6. Ireland, Dragons, and Old Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

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Chapter 5: Ireland, Dragons and Old Magic

Nita yawned as she stumbled off the plane and into Dublin Airport.

"Nita!!"

Her brain managed to process the greeting, and she turned to greet her Aunt Annie, who immediately swept her into a hug.

"Aunt Annie! How are you?"

"Good, good. My, you look tired!"

Nita grinned wryly. "Well it _is_ 4:00 in the morning back home," She pointed out.

Aunt Annie laughed. "So it is. Well, you can sleep in the car if you want, and at home, once we get there."

"That'd be nice." Nita said, yawning again.

Nita managed to stay awake until they reached Ballyvolan, but promptly fell asleep after sitting down on the couch in the living room. She woke a few hours later, slightly disoriented, until she remembered where she was. She glanced at her watch. 3:00 p.m. _Whoa, I slept for like, four hours._

Just then, Aunt Annie walked in. "You're awake then," she smiled. "Feel better? I didn't want to wake you once you'd fallen asleep. Not too uncomfortable was it?"

"No, no it was fine. Thanks." Nita replied.

"Are you hungry? You slept through lunch."

At the mention of lunch, Nita's stomach growled audibly.

Aunt Annie laughed. "Well that settles that question!" she said, and began walking towards the kitchen. "I'll whip up something for you in no time."

Nita nodded gratefully and followed her.

_Hey Neets! _A voice interrupted her thoughts.

Hey Kit! What's up?

Nothing much. It's been real boring. I miss you.

Miss you too Kit. she yawned. _Sorry, still jet-lagged. Time differences and all. And I'm starved. _Her stomach growled insistently, punctuating her point, and she could feel Kit's mental laughter.

I'll let you eat and sleep then. Keep in touch.

Will do. She felt his mindtouch fade out.

"Nita!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry Aunt Annie. What did you say?"

"I just asked if you wanted mustard on your sandwich. Jet-lagged still?"

"No, actually I was just talking to Kit." She blushed, then mentally berated herself for blushing.

"And how is he doing these days?" Aunt Annie turned back to the sandwiches and didn't appear to notice. "You two still working together then?"

"He's good, and yeah we still work together… although…" she trailed off, thinking about the manual's ominous take on their status as partners.

"Although…?" Aunt Annie asked. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know. There's been some weird stuff happening lately. Which is sort of part of the reason I came here."

Aunt Annie put a plate with a sandwich on it in front of her then sat down across from her at the table with a cup of tea. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Nita took a deep breath. "It's kind of a long and sort of complicated story." She began.

"That's alright. I'm not going anywhere."

In between bites of the sandwich, Nita proceeded to tell her Aunt about the kernel feelings, Electra, her run-in with the dog, and the manual's odd settings, and her fight and - with the omission of a few details - her make up with Kit. "Do you have any idea what's going on with these weird kernel feelings, Aunt Annie? Has anyone ever had anything like that over here?"

"Hmm now. I seem to remember another young person complaining of something like that. Didn't call it a 'kernel feeling' though."

"Well that's just what I called it, because it felt like when I was searching for world kernels. I suppose to someone else it might feel different."

"Yes, I'd thought of that."

"Do you remember who it was?"

Her aunt shook her head. "Not offhand, no. But I will try to remember, and if I can't, I might be able to find out another way." Her eyes got a faraway look in them.

Nita gave her a questioning look, but Aunt Annie ignored it and asked instead if she was still hungry.

Nita shook her head and cleared her dishes. "Thanks Aunt Annie." Aware that she was changing the subject, she asked, "My dad said you were moving, but it doesn't look like it. Did he hear wrong?"

"Moving?! Good heavens, no! Ballyvolan is my home. However… we will have to leave for a bit. I've rented a place down in Cortown."

"Why?" Nita asked.

"Things have been a little… strange… around here lately. Do you remember what was happening last time you were here? With the whole business of going sideways?"

"How could I forget?" Nita shivered, remembering.

"Well something like that has been happening again." Aunt Annie said quietly.

"But I thought it worked? The battle and everything… was it all for nothing?"

"No, no, it worked all right. This is something completely different. I don't know for sure what's going on yet, I'm not sure anyone does. I only noticed it because, well, it might just be easier to show you." Aunt Annie got up from the table.

Nita followed her out of the kitchen, out of the house, and towards the stables, feeling more and more curious with each step.

"It was just a few weeks ago, when it happened. I'm not sure what it was, not quite like going sideways, yet sort of the same effect." Aunt Annie led her to a stall with both the top and bottom doors shut. A note was taped to the top window: DANGER: DO NOT OPEN UNDER _ANY_ CIRCUMSTANCES.

After making sure there was no one about, Annie unlatched the top door and opened it. Nita peered into the dimly lit stall, and stared in amazement. There, standing in the straw, was a pure white horse. He was whiter than any white she had previously seen or imagined, emanating a sort of pureness. Annie clapped her hands, startling him. Nita gasped as a pair of huge wings burst from his shoulders to stretch to either side of the large box stall.

"What… what… how…?" Nita began unsteadily.

Aunt Annie shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. It's not like sideways, where you slip into the otherworld, or even when they slip into this world. It's something new. Something I've never seen before. And there's been a lot of this odd magical activity around Ballyvolan. The closest example I can think of is that it appears my farm is on a sort of… I don't even know how to describe it… A sort of fault line, only between realities, instead of tectonic plates. This creature," she gestured at the flying horse, "never existed in any known world. It's basis is in mythology; a completely different reality. And these sorts of things are coming through the fault, which happens to be located here. That's why I'm leaving for a bit. I need to get away from it and consult some higher authorities on what exactly is going on before we can figure out what to do about it."

"Wow… that's complicated. What do you think is causing this… fault? Like, was it here before?

"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before, which is why I want to talk to the area supervisors and get their take on this, and also why I'm moving out for a bit."

Nita glanced from the winged horse, now standing calmly in his stall, wings folded into his flanks, to her aunt and nodded. "Yeah, maybe it's for the best to just leave for a bit."

"Well, we leave tomorrow, so you might not want to unpack yet."

"Okay," Nita agreed.

* * *

Nita awoke groggily the next morning to an odd growling sound. At first she thought it was her stomach, which still hadn't adjusted to the time change and acted up at odd times, but a full fledged roar that was decidedly unstomachish and the subsequent screams of frightened horses jolted her into full awareness. She rolled out of bed, scrambled into her jeans and tugged on the first shirt her fingers grasped while running down the hall to her aunt's room.

"Aunt Annie!! Aunt Annie!! Something's at the horses!!!" she yelled as she half-ran, half-tripped and slid, down the stairs.

"I'm coming!" her aunt yelled back, shortly before emerging from her room and joining Nita's mad dash toward the barns.

Nita raced around the far side of one barn, not seeing anything amiss, and skidded around the corner to head toward the paddocks. Then she spotted the problem.

"Whoa! What the heck is that?"

"It's… a dragon." Aunt Annie said from behind her.

"That… _can't_ really be a … real dragon?? Can it?"

The dragon, although small, seemed exceedingly real to the horses if no one else. They screamed and neighed in terror and raced about from one end of the field to the other. The dragon shook its head and roared at them, little spurts of smoke and flame shooting from its nostrils.

"I'm convinced. That's a real dragon." Aunt Annie declared. Nita just nodded her agreement.

"What do we do about it?"

"Well, I suppose we could try this." Aunt Annie spoke something in a strange language that sounded a mix of an ancient tongue and the Speech. In response, the ground began to glow red until one spot turned a bright crimson. Aunt Annie raised her hands and said another few words, and the ground began to cave in from that spot until Nita noticed, just barely, a hairline fissure under the ground. The collapse of the surrounding ground agitated the fissure until it opened with a great sucking noise. A whirlwind emerged from the opened fissure and began devouring everything in its immediate vicinity -- plants, trees, rocks -- heading toward the dragon and the horses. Nita could hear Aunt Annie shouting words now, words she was sure were controlling that maelstrom as it was carefully maneuvered so that the dragon was absorbed, but not the horses. Aunt Annie managed to direct the whirlwind back down through the fissure and close the great slash in the earth before collapsing with exhaustion.

Nita used a quick weightless spell in order to move her aunt from where she fell to inside the house and onto the sofa, then she went back and examined the path of wreckage left by the whirlwind. It had cut a sort of brown scar through the green of the surrounding area, and the now-closed edges of the fissure puckered out like a wound. "Wow." She whispered softly to herself, thinking how good it was that Aunt Annie had temporarily dismissed the staff of the riding stables, knowing that she would be leaving for an indeterminate amount of time. At least there wouldn't be any innocent bystanders needing memory wipes.

Nita entered the paddock where the still-terrified horses stood shaking. Even though she wasn't the most fond of horses, she couldn't leave an animal, any animal in such a state of shock. She warily approached them, hands out in front of her, talking to them in the Speech. Recognizing her as a person, something they saw every day, and not the strange fiery creature that had scared them, they allowed her to pet them and quiet them. When she was satisfied that they were calm, Nita made her way back to the house.

She found her aunt seated at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug of tea, when she walked in. "Are the horses alright? I'd see to them myself, but it was hard enough just to get here from the sofa in the living room. The use of old magic tires one to the bone."

"Old magic? Aunt Annie, what happened back there?!" Nita began, and the questions fairly poured out of her from there. "Was that a real dragon? What did you do to it? What was the wind? And the crack in the ground? And that weird language that sort of wasn't quite the Speech?"

"Slow down, slow down. Yes it was a real dragon. All the things that are appearing have some base in mythical realities, and I've had to deal with a couple others, a firedrake and a wyvern, although this is the first real dragon I've seen as of yet."

"But the windstorm and the crack -"

"Nita dear, in Ireland there are older and stronger forces at work than mere wizardry. Before manuals and science things were much different. I was using the Old Tongue, an imperfect dialect of the Speech that allows one to summon and control some of the more… dangerous of the Old Powers, or what I think of as 'the old powers' anyway. They aren't actual powers, not how you know powers. They are forces, like… like gravity and friction, forces that once existed extensively and naturally and now are either hidden completely or require quite a bit of study in order to access. When you hear old stories and myths about mages and sorcerers, who manipulated objects and fought with 'magic', you assume any truth in the legends was a hyped up story of a real life wizard, but that isn't always the case. I used to be fascinated by mythology, always thinking that the mysterious Merlin from King Arthur and the genies of Arabian Nights were actually wizards, but then I stumbled on the old magics, quite by accident. That alone is a completely different story, but one of the things I learned was that these 'wizards' - I tend to call them 'mages' to distinguish them from our art now - did not use the true version of the Speech, particularly when they controlled pure elements, such as wind, water, fire, and earth. It's hard enough to control them without letting them consume you. If I used their true names, their true essence, I don't know if I'd be strong enough to keep them from devouring me. The dull edge to the Speech allows for control without getting too close to the element you are controlling. The downside is that it's twice as draining."

Nita shook her head, still trying to process it all.

"But these Old Powers… what exactly are they? And how do you use them?"

"The Old Powers are traces of raw magic, which can still be found in the old places of the world where there was much magical activity. Ireland, England, Persia, Arabia; all these hold traces of the old magic. It's a manipulatable force that dwells in an area and can be called to life by someone with the right skills and the right heart. Using the old magic depends very much on how deeply you believe in it, which is why not many New Worlders ever grasp the concept of it. It's the sort of thing you have to see without your eyes."

"And what you did to the dragon?"

"I simply called on the Old magic to trace where the dragon had come from and send it back there. The wind was slightly unexpected, but it worked well enough. When you're using the old magic there's always an element of surprise. Not like normal wizardry where every spell is limited and laid out, no, the old magic has a mind of it's own, and you are simply the channel for it."

"Wow." Nita breathed. "That's almost… too hard to believe."

"You're a wizard Nita. Not much should be hard to believe."

Nita smiled at the truth in the statement.

"Any chance you could put the kettle on for more tea?" her aunt asked presently.

"Oh! Of course!" Nita snapped back from her ponderings to attend to her aunt. "Are you ok then? How long till the effects wear off?"

"Not too long, although I'll be useless for wizardry for the next couple days. I'll be fine here for a bit but could you please go throw the horses some hay?" Aunt Annie asked.

Nita nodded and put the kettle on, then headed for the barns.

_Neets? You there? _A familiar voice asked.

KIT! she replied happily. After such a crazy morning she was very glad to do something normal, like talk telepathically to her partner. She smiled a little at the irony of the thought.

Whoa, you sound excited.

Not even the word for it. she grimaced.

Tough night with the jetlag? Or just the horses?

No, actually it was the dragon.

Dragon?

Do you have time for a bit of a long story?

For you? Always. She felt him mentally settle down into 'listening mode' as she began filling him in on what had happened.

AN: Now we're FINALLY getting into the plot… wow… took until chapter 5. Sorry this chapter took so long!! I've been really busy with homework and stuff, but I'll try and keep the chapters coming as regularly as possible! Please keep reading and r & r!! Thanks


	7. Werewolves and Instant Messages

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

AN: as an apology for making you wait twice as long for the previous chapter, here's another short one in case i don't get around to updating for a while... .. enjoy!

****

Chapter 6: Werewolves and Instant Messages

Kit scuffed his way down the sidewalk while Ponch panting his way alongside him, occasionally forging off on his own to investigate a particularly intriguing tree or pole. "Come on, Ponch!" he called irritatedly.

_Why grouchy boss? _the dog inquired.

I'm not grouchy. Kit growled.

Ponch cocked his head to one side and evaluated him. _You're grouchy boss. Is it because your anlach is gone?_

Anlach? What's that? Kit asked, trying to think of the translation for the word.

It means packmate-that-is-not-mate-but-is-close-to-the-heart. the dog offered.

Oh. That's long.

That is why we call it anlach. Ponch smiled. _You miss her._

Yeah. Kit stood and just gazed moodily into nowhere.

I miss her too boss. She makes you happy.

Kit smiled and tousled the dogs ears. _Thanks Ponch. I'll try to be less grouchy. Do you want to go play catch in the park?_

YESYESYESYESYES! the black dog ran in happy giddy circles around his young master.

"Alright! Alright! Let's go then!" Kit replied, reverting back to verbal communication.

* * *

Kit and Ponch joined a rather large group of people who had decided to play ball with their dogs at the park too. About fifteen dogs of varying sizes and breeds were already happily chasing balls, frisbees, and various other toys thrown by owners of all ages. Ponch and his soggy tennis ball soon joined the fray. Everyone was very friendly and soon Kit found himself throwing balls not only for Ponch but also for a large german shepherd, a dalmation cross, and a rather drooly spaniel.

As the morning stretched into afternoon, the german shepherd left, only to be replaced by a huge black dog that looked eerily like a wolf, although Kit didn't have time to ponder this, as the dogs were constantly barking and dancing about, begging him to throw their toys for yet another retrieval.

By the time another hour had passed, the various owners and their dogs began to leave, one by one. Eventually Kit and Ponch and the black dog were the only ones left. "Hey fella," Kit said absently to the black dog. "Wonder who you're owners are? And where they are." He looked around, but there was no one around to claim the large animal. "Huh." Kit said, thinking aloud. "Well, let's see if you have a collar." He started towards the black dog, but it growled low and backed away from him rumbling, _Don't touch me. _

"Oh, for pete's sake." Kit grumbled, then said in the Speech. _Don't worry. It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you. C'mere. _

The dog looked very surprised and answered back tentatively in a very female voice, _You… you can hear me?_

Of course I can hear you. I'm a wizard. Kit said impatiently, taking advantage of the dog's surprise to grab it by the scruff, searching for a collar. "Hey, no collar…" then in the Speech, _Did you run away from home?_

Not exactly, the dog answered, shaking loose of Kit's grip. _It's kind of hard to explain._

Well you're owners will be worried sick about you. And since you aren't wearing your collar, how am I supposed to know where to return you to?

Well let's get one thing straight. I don't HAVE any OWNERS. the dog said sounding insulted.

Stray then. Where's your pack? Or do you live alone?

I do now, she said sadly. _The Shadows took them all._

The Shadows? What shadows?

The Shadows. That's all the name I have known them by. In both forms.

Forms? Kit was beginning to think that this was the most complicated conversation he'd ever had with any dog but Ponch, and certainly much more … intelligent wasn't quite the word; sophisticated maybe. This dog had very advanced communication skills, particularly for a dog that didn't seem to have talked to many wizards.

You don't think I look like this ALL the time do you? the dog snorted at him.

Uh, what else do you look like then?

Like you, only a female. the dog replied shortly.

What? How is that…? You're a … ? Whoa.

Please do try to finish your own sentences. the dog said drily.

Well excuse me, but it isn't every day I talk to dogs who think they can become people.

I am a WOLF, and I CAN become human, just not for another three nights.

A wolf! Huh. I did think you were awfully big for a dog.

Humans. So glad I'm not one of you.

What exactly ARE you then? Kit wanted to know.

I am, as simply as can be put, a werewolf. We are not wolves, not humans, but something inbetween. Shapechangers. Skin and pelt, fangs and teeth, blood and chocolate.

Blood?

Well, ok maybe that's an exaggeration, we're not vampiric, but we do hunt. Usually deer or rabbits or squirrels. Whatever's available. Although prey around here has been running rather low. I'm starving.

Kit scratched his head. _I suppose you could come home with me for a bit. If you don't mind dogfood._

I've eaten worse.

Ok then. You'll have to keep a low profile though. I'll say you're my friend's dog and that I'm 'sitting for him.

Whatever.

Come on then. Kit whistled for Ponch, who showed up seconds later, wearing an innocent grin and not looking a bit surprised that the wolf was coming home with them. Kit glared at Ponch. _You knew._

Yes. the dog replied. _Told sad wolf you'd help her. Take home and feed. She very hungry._

I see. Well I hope you don't mind sharing the house for a bit then.

Don't mind. Nice wolf.

Kit glanced behind him at the wary black wolf. _I just hope mom thinks so. _

_

* * *

_

"Why didn't you tell me about this _before_?"

"I forgot, mom."

"Forgot, forgot, isn't good enough!! Next time, you tell me!"

"Yes, mom."

Kit's mother whirled back to the numerous pots and pans on various stove elements. "Go feed those animals Christopher."

You owe me for this one, wolf. He grumbled to himself, fetching dogfood for both animals and setting it out. The two ate hungrily.

"And it stays in YOUR room, Christopher." A voice from the kitchen added.

Kit sighed. "Yes, mom!" he yelled back, then to the dogs, _C'mon you two. _He shut them up in his room then turned on his computer and went online for a while, logging onto his instant message program. He wasn't on long before an instant message flashed on his screen.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: HEY!!!!!!!

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: dogsitting?

kitster - dogsitting - says: it's a long story. :P how are you? things ok over there?

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: yah, been quiet since yesterday. we moved to Cortown today. miss you. how're things?

kitster - dogsitting - says: miss you too. pretty quiet over here too. picked up a stray 'werewolf' today. that's the gist of the 'dogsitting' story.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: 'werewolf'?

kitster - dogsitting - says: crazy dog thinks it's a werewolf. the thing is, I almost believe it too… it talks like a human, not like a dog.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: !!!!

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: duz it have silver eyes??

kitster - dogsitting - says: huh.. I dunno… hold on one sec? I'll be right back….

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: ok

* * *

Kit walked over to the wolf, who was laying on the end of his bed and watching him lazily out of the corner of one eye.

Look at me. he commanded.

What? the wolf said, sitting up and opening both eyes in response to the request.

Kit gasped. Her eyes shone bright silver.

Electra? he asked tentatively.

Smart boy. the wolf grinned and settled back down on the bed. _Yes, I'm Electra._

Kit was about to answer back, but a pinging noise from his computer stopped him. "Nita." He remembered, returning to his place in front of the screen.

* * *

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: _Ping?_ _request_

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: …..

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: hello?

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: r u there?

kitster - dogsitting - says: sorry! just checking on that eye thing. u'll never believe this….

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: after wut happened yesterday, i think I could believe anything

kitster - dogsitting - says: well, she duz have silver eyes. but that's not all

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says:oh?

kitster - dogsitting - says: it's electra.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: ….. the wolf in your house is actually Electra??? wow.. ok… any way to check for sure????

kitster - dogsitting - says: dunno.. she says she can't turn human again for three more days, and some other weird stuff about Shadows.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: huh. Shadows with a capital eh? well. wonder wut they are.

kitster - dogsitting - says: not a clue.

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: oh darn it, my aunt needs her laptop back, so I gotta go. good luck wit the 'dogsitting', or 'wolfsitting' I mite say! talk 2 ya l8ter, bye!

rowangirl - In Ireland! - says: thanx, good luck 2 u too. bye

rowangirl - In Ireland! - has signed off

* * *

Kit stared at the screen for two full minutes, then signed out himself. _What am I getting myself into? _He thought. Electra growled sleepily at some night monster, and Ponch rolled over so he was now on top of Kit's feet. _At least I have company._


	8. Old Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

****

Chapter 8: Old Friends

Nita reluctantly signed off her IM program and handed the laptop back to her aunt. "Sorry Nita. You can have it back later."

"It's ok Aunt Annie. We can use telepathy too. Sometimes it's just nice to talk without feeling the emotional overtones. When you talk to someone mind to mind, especially someone you know well and who knows you well, things slip between the cracks, no matter how good your mindshield is."

"Yes." Aunt Annie's face quirked at the explanation. "I do know the feeling."

Nita nodded and turned to look back out the window of the car. Her aunt wedged the laptop in amongst the piles of things in the front seat and pulled up an online map, which she referred to, checking the road signs as she passed them.

Nita watched the countryside pass for about a half-hour before drifting off to sleep. She woke as the motion of the car ceased. The car was parked in the driveway of a pretty white house with green trim. Nita yawned. "Are we there?"

"Yep! Pretty, isn't it?" Aunt Annie beamed at the little house. Nita nodded and smiled, smothering another yawn.

"We'd better get everything inside and unpack." Nita said, grabbing a duffel bag and her knapsack out of the car as she spoke.

"Yes, of course. Then we can go into town and pick up something for dinner." Her aunt agreed, hauling a suitcase out of the trunk and heading up the driveway to the front door of the house, keys in hand.

* * *

Nita had finished her eight circuit of the house by exactly 9:14 the next morning when her aunt finally suggested she take the bus into town and find something to do.

"Nita, dear, if you're bored why don't you go into town and have a look around?"

"I'm fine Aunt Annie."

"Nita." Aunt Annie gave her a look. "You've circled this house exactly eight times. It's ok; I'll be fine here. Go have some fun."

Somewhat reluctantly, Nita took her aunt's suggestion and headed out to catch the bus to town. "Are you sure…?" she asked one last time from the doorway. Her aunt nodded and smiled, and tipped her head at the door. "Go on."

The whole dragon/old magic episode had left her rather shaken, and she wasn't sure she trusted Cortown, even though it was well away from her aunt's farm and Greystones. She was also worried about Kit and Electra. She wasn't sure she trusted Electra; that dog - _wolf_ she corrected herself - hadn't really seemed all that friendly. _If she hurts Kit I'll…I'll… _her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the bus.

The whole way into town she worried; about her kernel feelings - which had become a sort of constant buzz in her head, almost static like - , about Kit and Electra back home, about her aunt who was still recovering from calling on whatever powers in order to deal with that dragon, and about the 'old magic' Aunt Annie had tried to explain to her. Chasing around all these thoughts was the nagging feeling that they were somehow connected. Nita felt like she was trying to build a jigsaw puzzle without the help of a picture on the box and without all the pieces she needed, since all the pieces she had didn't seem to fit together no matter how she turned them and played with them.

She managed to get off the bus at the right stop and wandered aimlessly down the main streets with no particular destination in mind, but was not surprised when her feet led her down a side street to a little bookstore hidden around the corner. Nita had always had a penchant for finding libraries and bookstores, particularly when she was feeling confused or frustrated. Books had a way of making her feel safe, so whenever her world felt like it was turning upside down, she usually managed to find herself in a bookstore or a library. Sometimes she didn't even know how she discovered these places, but they always seemed to appear, as if out of nowhere, just when she needed them.

Nita glanced at the sign over the door. It read "Alicorn Books" in graceful script, with a picture of a unicorn below the words. She smiled at the words and pushed open the door. The shop was small, with the smell of a thousand pages permeating the air. Nita could pick out the new books on the shelves, with their crisp pages and uncreased spines, but there were just as many older books present, books with bent pages and a comfortable musty, used smell. A spiraling staircase with a metal railing stood in the back corner and led upstairs and downstairs.

She didn't see anyone behind the counter, but after a few tentative 'hello' s, she settled for perusing the shelves around her. One volume in particular caught her eye as she slid her fingers down the book spines. "Huh. _A Guide to Worldgating Techniques for the Young Wizard_." She disbelievingly pulled it from the shelf to look at the front cover. "Interesting," she said, talking out loud to herself, half out of usually having someone there to hear her, and half to keep the empty feeling of the shop away. "Wonder if it has anything on worldkernels." She moved to an out-of-the-way corner and sat down on the floor, intending only to examine the book more thoroughly. She quickly became so absorbed by the worn volume's information on worldgating theory and construction, and its relation to worldkernels that she didn't look up from its pages until a voice said, "Excuse me, but we're closing."

"What?" she said without thinking, then realized how rude that sounded. She awkwardly scrambled to her feet, fumbling with the book and not looking at the person who had spoken, all the while trying to think of something more intelligent to say. "Sorry! What I meant was, is it really that late? I'm very sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the time, and thank you for coming over and telling me - "

"Nita? Is that you?"

She looked up from the floor into a familiar face. "Ronan?!" The dark haired boy looked back at her with a quirked grin on his face. "What are you doing here?" she asked before she thought better of it.

"I could ask you the same question, but to answer yours, this is my great aunt's bookstore. She was feeling sick lately, and I've been feeling - well, never mind that. The long and short of it is that my parents sent me over here for a bit. Guess they thought getting away from home would be a good change for me, and hey, why not help my aunt while I'm at it? Not that I'm complaining. She's great, and," he looked around the shop and shrugged, "it's a job. So why are _you_ here?"

Nita blinked, then recovered. "Visiting my aunt." She replied.

Ronan frowned. "I thought she lived in Greystones? At Ballyvolan?"

Nita sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well, we're closing for lunch anyway. You wanna go somewhere and talk? Buy you lunch?" he offered.

"Um," Nita deliberated briefly. "Sure, why not? I'd better call Aunt Annie though. I don't want her to worry about me."

"You can use the phone behind the counter if you want." Ronan waved in the general direction of the counter.

"Thanks." Nita tucked the book under her arm, walked over, picked up the receiver and started to dial.

"I'm just gonna go check things over downstairs, then tell my aunt where I'm going. Be back in a couple seconds."

Nita nodded and pressed the receiver to her ear, watching Ronan descend the stairs toward the lower level.

"Hello?" Aunt Annie asked at the other end of the line.

"Hi, Aunt Annie, it's me."

"Nita! Are you having fun in town? Make some new friends?"

"Not new friends, but I did find an old one. We're going out to lunch. Is that alright? I can catch the three o'clock bus home."

"That's fine with me. Or did you want me to pick you up when you're finished? I'm coming down to do some shopping around 2:30 anyway."

"Ok," Nita agreed. "I'll be at Alicorn Books. It on the corner of … um…" she held a hand over the bottom of the receiver and called down the stairs to Ronan. "What intersection is this place at?"

"Seabrook and Dawn." His voice wafted up the stair.

"Seabrook and Dawn." Nita repeated into the phone.

"Alright then. I'll pick you up there around 2:30 then?"

"Sure." Nita replied. "Bye."

"Bye. Have fun."

"I will," said Nita, and hung up the phone.

"Ready?" asked Ronan, coming up the stairs.

"Yep."

Ronan opened a drawer behind the counter and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He scrawled a quick note on it and stuck it under the stapler prominently on the counter. "Alright, let's go then."

Nita followed him out the door and watched him flip the sign in the window from 'Open' to 'Closed', and lock the door behind them. "So, where do you wanna go?" he asked.

"Dunno," Nita replied. "We only just moved in yesterday. What's a good place?"

"There's a spot down the street that's good; we can buy stuff there and then go eat in the park." He suggested.

"Sounds good."

* * *

"So," asked Ronan when they were settled with their lunch under a tree in the park, "What's the 'long story'? Parents wanna get you away from your partner?" he teased, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"No. Actually he didn't want me to come, but I sort of… had to, but wanted to at the same time. Oh, this is complicated….where do I start?"

"How about the beginning?" Ronan suggested.

"That's the problem," Nita said dryly. "I'm not exactly sure where the beginning IS."

"Well, then just pick somewhere."

"Ok. I guess you could say it started with the kernel feelings."

"Kernel feelings?"

"Yeah, it's really weird. I did a lot of work with worldkernels a little while ago, when…when.." she swallowed, "when my mom died and - "

"Oh, Nita," Ronan put his hand on hers sympathetically, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Anyways, when I was working with the kernels, I got a really good feel for them. Lately, I get these feelings like I'm looking for a kernel - only I'm not - but it's like it's underwater or something; my senses are totally distorted. Once I blacked out completely on Kit's porch. He freaked, but I wouldn't let him tell Tom and Carl - my area seniors," she explained. "But then Aunt Annie called and asked if I'd like to visit, and I figured that since so much other weird wizardry stuff goes on over here, maybe someone would know what's happening to me, and why. The feelings have been worse lately though. Instead of just coming and going, I have them constantly… like, like…" she reached for the right words.

"Like a static buzz in your head." Ronan finished. "Like the end of a hangover that won't go away."

"Yeah! Hey, how'd you know?"

"Because I have it too."

"Really?? Do you know anything about it? Like why or how to make it stop?"

"I know just about as much as you do. Probably less, since I never even connected it to worldkernels."

"I knew it had something to do with wizardry, but couldn't figure out anymore than that. Anyway I'm interrupting. Finish your story."

Nita filled in the rest of the story, mentioning the dog in the alley briefly, but not mentioning that the 'dog' was really a werewolf, who was currently masquerading as a dog and living in her partner's house; a fact she was not certain she was entirely comfortable with. She told herself she wasn't mentioning it because she didn't have any _solid_ evidence that Electra truly _was_ a werewolf, but since she didn't even believe herself, she just smothered the feeling and continued with her story. When she got to the parts about the fault on Aunt Annie's land and the flying horse and the dragon, she had to smile at Ronan's shell-shocked expression.

"Wow." He said, when she'd finished. "You truly have been busy since I last saw you. So this fault that the dragon and the winged horse came from, that's why your aunt moved you out here?"

"Yeah."

"Why here though?"

"I don't know. I think one of the seniors for the country lives near here. She said something about contacting people higher up to get an opinion on what to do about the whole thing. At least that's how I understand it."

Ronan nodded, "That makes sense. We'll probably be seeing more of each other then."

Nita looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"My great aunt is the senior for Ireland."

"No way!" It was Nita's turn to be surprised. "That's just too crazy!"

Ronan smiled. "Well at least it won't be as lonely. I don't know anyone around here, so I've kept to the shop pretty much. We could hang out together, maybe help figure out these weird - what did you call them? - kernel feelings..?"

"Yeah. That'd be great." Nita replied. She glanced absently at her watch. "Whoa! 2:00! I told Aunt Annie we'd be at the shop for 2:30."

Ronan got up off the ground and brushed the grass off his shorts before offering Nita a hand. She took it, and he helped her up. They walked back to the store engrossed in further conversation.

Ronan unlocked the door and flipped the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open'. "Not like many people would even notice." He remarked. "Not much business here."

"I'd noticed." Nita commented, perching on the counter and picking up the book she'd been reading before.

Ronan wandered back over to the counter and leaned his elbows on it. "Whatcha reading?" he asked.

"This." Nita tilted the book so he could read the front cover.

"Whoa! That's not even supposed to be down here! It's part of great-aunt Tessa's collection. She keeps them all upstairs. Wonder how that got down here."

"I'm sorry." Nita said. "I just found it on the shelf, and thought it was interesting. Will your aunt be mad?"

"Aunt Tessa? Nah. She'll want it back though."

"Do you think she'd let me borrow it?"

"Maybe. If you told her about …everything… she might even have some other stuff that's more useful you could borrow. You wanna come up and ask her?"

"Sure!"

"C'mon then." Ronan led her up the spiral stairs. "Aunt Tessa!" he called.

"Ronan dear, please don't yell," a woman said from the kitchen, her back to them. "I've told you before, I'm not deaf."

"Aunt Tessa! What are you doing up? I thought you were still reading in the other room. That's why I yelled."

"I decided to fix myself some tea. Did you - oh!" she turned around and noticed Nita. "Who might you be, dear?"

"Aunt Tessa, this is my friend Nita. She's a wizard from the States; you know, the one that came in to help with Moytura?"

"Really? Well, I must say it is a pleasure to meet you, dear. Would you care for some tea?"

Nita glanced at Ronan nervously. He just smiled and nodded. "Sure." She said. "Nice to meet you too."

"Well, Ronan, I must say I expected you to start bringing home friends a little earlier."

Ronan blushed. "Sorry, Aunt Tessa. I haven't really had time to meet anyone. I've only been here a week."  
  
"I know dear. I was only teasing. So how do you like Cortown?" she directed the question at Nita as she brought over the tea.

"Very well, thank you." Nita answered. "All of Ireland has more… depth to it than what I'm used to. It takes a little getting used to, but I like it."

"Yes, Ireland has an old soul." Aunt Tessa smiled fondly. "Many, many memories reside in this land."

Ronan nodded. "Speaking of old things, Aunt Tessa, Nita found one of your books in the shelves downstairs."

Nita held out the book. "I didn't know it was yours. I just found it there, and started reading; I was wondering… could I borrow it? I didn't finish it."

"Of course you may. Just be sure it finds its way home. You can give it to Ronan when you finish. He knows where it goes."

"Thank you so much!"

"Anytime dear. I'd be curious to know, which book was it?" she took the proffered volume. "Ah, worldgating. I haven't read this one in a while. Do you like to travel?"

"Yes, but I was actually more interested in the theoretical part, where it talks about how the worldgates are related to the kernels. I did quite a bit of work with worldkernels, but I still don't know much about them."

"The kernels have always been rather a mystery. Many wizards have spent their lives studying them, but we still don't know exactly how they work. Out of curiosity dear, why are you so interested in the kernels?"

"I've been feeling kind of… odd lately. Its like I'm looking for a kernel, but my senses are distorted; sort of like looking at a picture through water. It started getting worse when I came here… I'm not sure why, but now instead of getting the feeling occasionally, it's constant, like a buzz."

"Yes, I have it too." Ronan added. "We were wondering if you knew anything about it? Or maybe had a book that would help us understand what's happening to us."

"My goodness! Why didn't you mention this before?" she asked, looking directly at Ronan.

"I didn't know what it was! I thought it was just me or something, but then Nita was talking about all this other stuff, and she had the same feeling… and well, I figured that maybe we should tell you. Do you know anything about it?"

"No. But it does sound serious. I shall most definitely look into it. In the meantime, you may borrow the book. I hope it helps you," she said, directing the last statement to Nita.

Just then, the bell on the counter downstairs rang sharply. "I'll get it," Ronan said, and fairly sailed down the stairs.

"It's probably my aunt," Nita said. "She is supposed to pick me up about now. I think she might like to talk to you though."

"Nita!" Ronan called from downstairs.

"Coming," she called back, and started down the spiral staircase, Ronan's aunt following her.

"Well, Nita!" Aunt Annie exclaimed, "How nice to see you've found a friend already!"

"It's a small world," Ronan commented.

"Aunt Annie, this is Ronan's great-aunt Tessa. She's the senior for Ireland."

"Oh! How wonderful! I've been meaning to contact you! I must speak to you about a matter of some urgency." Aunt Annie said.

"Yes, Nita said you might want to talk to me. Are you busy now? We could go up and have some tea."

"That would be splendid! Nita, will you be ok down here?"

Nita glanced over at Ronan. "We'll be fine, Aunt Annie."

"Alright then." Aunt Annie and Aunt Tessa headed back up the spiral stairs leaving Nita and Ronan to mind the counter.

"They could be a while." Ronan commented, watching their ascent.

"Yeah." Nita nodded.

"Oh well. Gives us more time to catch up." He grinned at her. "And you might not even have to borrow that book. You could probably finish it in the time they'll take to talk things over."

"I'd better get started then. You interested in reading it?" she asked.

"Sort of. It sounds interesting, but I'm not much into reading."

"Boys," Nita shook her head, exasperatedly. "Sometimes I wonder how you learn anything. Sit down." she ordered.

Ronan looked at her, a protest forming on his lips, but then seemed to think better of it and obligingly took a seat on the floor, back resting against the wall, arms crossed. Nita sat down opposite him, her back against the counter, and began reading aloud from the book. "This way we can both hear it," she explained, "and you won't actually have to READ it." Ronan gave an approving chuckle, then quieted so he could listen to her reading.

"The worldkernels are therefore held together through the intersecting network formed by the worldgates and their hyperthreads, which extend through to the…." Ronan closed his eyes and listened, nodding occasionally at different points. This was the happiest he'd been since … he couldn't even remember.

A/N: I'm sorry if Ronan is rather OOC... but that's just how this worked out, ok? ok. I'll try to keep ppl in character as much as possible, but some things must be sacrificed for plot furtheration. plz R&R! Thanks!


	9. Ultimatum

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill…

A/N: I am SOOOO sorry… I haven't updated this in like, FOREVER. I had massive writer's block and then school and exams and well… ok I know those are lousy excuses, so yea.. HOPEFULLY this will be seeing more regular updates … if anyone's still reading it that is. That being said, enjoy the chapter. Oh... for clarity's sake, anything in italics is mindspeech, and the page breaks are there b/c it won't let me keep my original spacing/asterisks/etc...

**Chapter 8: Ultimatum**

Avrina let out a mournful howl and threw herself at the stone blocking the cave. _Let me out! _she snarled at the guards on the other side. They took no notice of her, particularly since the dampening field effects were such that no one could hear her mindspeech. It was about as effective as yelling into a telephone once the person at the other end has hung up. She made up her mind to be as annoying as possible. They might not be able to hear mindspeech, but her lungs worked fine and the air quickly filled with the cries of the imprisoned wolf.

* * *

Nysarl woke with a start, ears pricked and alert, his steel-grey eyes scanning the shadows outside the den for any sign of movement. His entire posture conveyed the thought that had shaken him awake; _something is wrong._ He strained his ears, listening in the darkness. Nothing. Not a single motion and no sound but the wind moaning softly through the trees, yet Nysarl couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. He whined softly and laid his silver-gray furred head back down on his black-tipped paws, but still could not return to his previous state of sleep. Resigning himself to a long night, he whined again, and wished he could figure out what felt so wrong.

A few moments later, however, his musings were interrupted by a familiar mindvoice.

_Nysarl, are you awake? _

_I am awake, packleader._

_Has Avrina come home?_

_No, I have not seen her since she left to meet you at the Cave of Guardians this morning._

_She never arrived. _

_What? How can that be? She should have been back ages ago, but I thought she was with you! _Nysarl sprang to his paws, and with a single backward glance at the others gathered in a sleepy huddle in the back of the den, he vanished into the dark night.

A black wolf with silver streaked fur emerged from the shadow of a tree. _Over here, Nysarl, _she growled softly. _I'll ask you now, because it is a dangerous mission, will you help me find Avrina? _

_You did not even have to ask. I will come with you. Let us go! _

She smiled at his enthusiasm. One could always count on youngsters to be enthusiastic, and Avrina had always been special to Nysarl. She did not want to involve the rest of her pack yet, but she knew it would be foolish to go searching for her daughter alone, and she knew Nysarl was less likely to stir up a panic if she included him in her search.

* * *

Raamath paced nervously in the main chamber of the cavern, his anger at his own frustration evident enough that the others of the pack gave him a wide berth. Finally one, the white female with the shredded ear approached him and asked, _Who shall we send with the message? If we wait much longer, she will draw them by sound alone! _

_Who do you think? _Raamath snarled back, unwilling to let even his mate see any weakness or indecision in him, but unable to answer the question straight.

_I do not know, packleader. That is why I am asking you. _

_Leave me, Keira! _he growled. The white wolf turned away and began to leave, but her leader shook his head and padded after her. _Heartmine, I am sorry. This situation with the wizards is just occupying all of my efforts. >_

The white wolf turned to him. _I forgive you, heartmine. I was only trying to help. _

_I know. I just do not know whom to send with the message. For obvious reasons I cannot take it myself. Most of the swift ones of the pack I am not sure I trust completely, and if I am to be sending messengers directly into the enemy's camp, I should like to send messengers I trust. The ones strong in the art though, whom I trust more are not fast enough. It is a dilemma to frustrate the most patient. _

_I have a solution, heartmine, if you would hear it. _

Raamath sighed. _I would hear any suggestions now. _

_Send me. _

_NO! _he recoiled, growling. _I will not send you to a packful of wizards! No, you will stay here where it is safe. Besides, I cannot risk them associating us! _

The white wolf pinned her ears back flat against her skull and snarled _Packleader, mate or not you have no right to deny any wolf her independence! If I should choose danger over safety, that is MY prerogative! As it stands, I fit all your qualifications. I am one of the swiftest in this pack; only Shadar is faster, and only because he is younger. You can trust me, you know that, and I know enough of the art to be able to get myself out of any scrapes. Safety is no longer in our vocabulary; not since we separated from those who serve the Oath. Every wolf must walk her own path. You must let me walk mine. _

_I still do not like it. _he whined.

_You do not have to like it, you only have to do it. _

_Alright. You will go. Be careful, and do not trust anyone. _

The white wolf rubbed her muzzle along the side of her mate's face. _Am I not always careful? Everything will be fine. _Swift as a summer storm, she was gone; a white speck fading into the distance.

* * *

Nysarl and Sirena loped down the worn trails in the complete blackness of night that is only seen during the TrueDark. They arrived at the Cave of Guardians some hours later.

_Who goes there! _snarled a white-fanged shadow.

_Sirena! _the black wolf called out her name.

_Lady, you are welcomed. _Two shadows stepped out of the cave.

_Amara, Raiyne. I am glad to see you. Have either of you seen Avrina? _

_Not for several days. We were expecting her and you this morning, but when neither of you showed up, we thought either that we had got the message in error or that you had other, more urgent business elsewhere that you had gone to attend to. _The leftmost shadow answered.

_A reasonable assumption, _Sirena sighed. _But Avrina… did not meet me where she said she would. I am not … certain… of her current whereabouts. If you could alert me if you see her…? _

_Of course, packleader. _

_Thank you. _Sirena nodded to them. _Come, Nysarl. _Together the black and silver shapes trotted off into the night.

* * *

A dark shape leaped over a fallen log and continued down the trail, pausing frequently to raise its nose to the wind or touch the end of its snout to the earth. Gold flashes shone in the faint starlight when the shape stopped for a moment in a small clearing on top of a hill, then dulled and blended back into the darkness of the forest. The wolf ran on, the weight of his task heavy on his shoulders.

Ahead of him ran two other wolves, one black - her scent as familiar to him as his own - the other silver-grey with black paws and black-tipped ears, young and newly coordinated, paws and head still a little oversized. In a flash of gold, he angled to cut them off, feeling the black wolf's gaze on him the whole time.

* * *

Sirena stopped suddenly, scanning the forest around them with piercing amber-yellow eyes. Nysarl paused beside her, one paw raised, poised to continue. He looked at her questioningly. She glanced back at the forest behind them, then loped ahead a couple more steps and stopped again.

_Someone is following us. _She said softly.

_Who? _Nysarl wanted to know.

_We'll see soon enough. _

Sirena walking slowly, watching the forest. Suddenly, a dark shape slipped from behind a tree in front of them. _Who goes there? _She demanded in a snarl.

_Sirena! It's me. _The strange wolf came closer.

Sirena recognized the scent. _Airon! _she exclaimed happily, and ran to meet the newcomer. They touched noses and then Sirena remembered Nysarl and beckoned the younger wolf over. _Airon, this is Nysarl. _She lowered her voice. _We are searching for Avrina. You have not seen her, by any chance? _

_What? Avrina is missing? This bodes ill. I have just come from the third chamber of the Cave of Guardians. Something strange is going on with the book. It is… tainting the cave somehow. All the rock around it has turned black and the very air in the chamber is sickening. It is as though it is being activated, but I have been the only one in the chamber in months. Only one other has such access besides you, but he has been busy training the new guardian recruits. It all smells of Shadows though. _

_I know, Airon. I know. I do not know what else to do. You cannot accuse him without more proof, but I must admit it does not sit well with me. _

_I don't trust him. _

They were interrupted suddenly by a sharp howl. Sirena's head jerked in the direction of the call. A grey streak raced down from the hill and stopped in front of her.

_I apologize for the intrusion, packleader, but your presence is urgently required at the den. _

_Can it wait a few moments? _

The messenger shifted his paws nervously, shuffling the leaves at his feet. _I really don't think it can wait. A messenger is here from the Oathbreakers - _he fairly spat the word _- and she has demanded an audience with you. They - they claim to have a hostage. _

_Who? _Sirena steeled herself for the answer.

_Avrina. _

The black wolf said only one word. _Back. _All four wolves turned and headed back for the main den paws fairly flying over the ground.

* * *

_Well. The great Sirena finally decides to grace me with her presence. _A white wolf stood in the middle of a circle of snarling guards. She smirked at the silver streaked leader. _Got enough minions to play your games, I see, _she commented, looking down her nose at Airon and Nysarl.

The guards growled louder, and a large storm grey wolf sporting several scars on his flanks and muzzle asked, _Shall we kill the prisoner? _

_Kill me and you'll never see your precious daughter again. _The white wolf snapped.

The scarred wolf looked at Sirena.

_Not at this time, Grenweld. I will hear what she has to say. _Then she turned to the white wolf. _Come, _she said, heading into the den. The guards automatically arranged themselves around the entrance, with many mutterings of "traitor" and "oathbreaker". The white wolf gave them a condescending smile and swept into the chamber after Sirena.

_Enough games. What do you want Keira? _

_You know what we want. The Book. _

_I cannot give you that! _Sirena snarled. _It is not mine to give. I have given oaths and I have responsibilities! Two things you could never understand. Ask for anything else, but I cannot give you the Book. _

_Then we cannot give you your daughter. _

Sirena whirled on her. _Avrina is not involved! You will return her or suffer the consequences! _

The white wolf was unfazed. _You will give us the Book, or we will retrieve it. By any means necessary. Avrina got in the way of our… most recent… attempt. Be thankful we are simply using her as a hostage. However if you refuse to meet our demands we may be forced to take, shall we say, more drastic action. _

_I do not deal with terrorists, conspirators, and traitors! Leave now, and release my daughter, or by the four moons and the seven circles of hell I will wreak such havoc on you and your oathbreaking companions that it will be spoken of in hushed tones for a thousand years! _

_You are not the only one who can call on the power of the four moons and the seven circles. I warn you now: Give us the Book, or we will perform the sacrifice of Pentacles. _

_That is a forbidden rite! _

_Forbidden to those who keep restricting oaths, perhaps. _

_The Oath protects us! You do not know the consequences of using such magic. It will destroy you, and possibly us with you! _

_So be it. _The white wolf stalked out the entrance, and past the guards. At the edge of the camp, she turned and looked back over her shoulder. _Heed my words, Sirena. Or you will never see Avrina alive again. Leave the Book at the base of Claw Mountain in the Forbidden Mountains, at the rock that points to the sky near the Fang Cliffs and we will give you your daughter back. You have three days. _And she was gone, her white form eaten up by the hungry darkness.

_Shall we go after her? _The guards asked eagerly, anxious for an opportunity to take down one of the exiled oathbreakers.

_No. Leave her. If she doesn't return they may hurt Avrina. _

_They may hurt her anyway, _snarled one guard. _Oathbreakers cannot be trusted. They may have killed her already and here we are standing around! _

_Peace. They want the Book more than her -- for now at least. _

Airon moved unobtrusively to her side. _What are you going to do, Sirena? _The pain on his face was evident. How can one who is both a parent and a leader choose between their responsibilities to those they serve and the safety of their only child? One choice would doom an innocent life, while the other would doom hundreds or even thousands. Sirena buried her muzzle in the thick reddish fur of his neck. He tried to encourage her, but both knew the situation had reached a head. Something had to be done; something decisive and, in all probability, dangerous. A line had been crossed and now there was no going back. Slowly, the other pack members left, one at a time, to attend to other duties, but Sirena and Airon remained. They were still standing there several hours later when a small pack of wolves trotted up to the den.

_Raamath, what are you doing here? _Sirena asked of their leader in a voice that betrayed her physical and emotional exhaustion.

_Just bringing the new recruits up. The dawn ceremony is still to be held tomorrow, is it not? _

_Oh. Oh yes, of course. I am sorry - I have a lot on my mind. _The black leader said absently.

_I am sorry packleader. We could put off the ceremony if necessary - it would only have to be delayed a month - _While his words were considerate, the tone was slightly mocking, but Sirena did not appear to notice. Airon, however, took offence.

He glared at the other wolf. _Some pressing business has come up. It may be necessary to put off the ceremony. _

_Certainly, certainly. Whatever the packleader deems necessary. _He gave Sirena a mock-bow. _I shall leave it to _you _then to explain to the youngsters why they must wait even longer to earn their positions - _

_That's enough! _Airon snapped. _Can't you be a _little _bit considerate? _

_I might. If someone could tell me what I am supposed to be considerate about. _Raamath replied.

_Avrina's been kidnapped by the exiles. _Airon declared, and with a quick glance at Sirena, he continued. _If I had any proof _you _would be standing trial for this. I know you are involved somehow; you were all too close to Keira before she was exiled. I do not trust you and if you have _anything_ to do with this, rest assured you will never see the light of another day. _

_Is that an accusation? _Raamath asked, his tone lightly provoking.

Airon growled. He knew he had no proof.

_You cannot prove anything. You have no basis for an accusation. You dishonor me; in front of my packleader no less. _

_I will find proof. _Airon snapped. _And when I do, I will wreak such havoc on you and your pack of oathbreakers that it will be spoken of by the children of our children's children for a thousand years. _

_Airon! _Sirena began, but the red wolf only stalked off into the forest.

_I'll settle the recruits in, shall I? _Raamath said innocently, and set off in the direction of his small pack of young warriors, leaving Sirena alone with her thoughts.


	10. Phoenix Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill… also, for clarity's sake, anything in italics is mindspeech, and the page breaks are there b/c won't let me keep my original spacing/asterisks/etc...

A/N: Yay… another chapter… after a very long break.. sorry people, I was away at camp all summer. Awesome summer btw, but yea… not so great for regular story updates unfortunately. As well, ….

_**This chapter is dedicated to Brightstarr-Bella -- Here is your long-awaited chapter and I apologize again for it being so late. Happy Birthday! **_

**Chapter 9: Phoenix Fire**

Kit woke up to a cold nose at his elbow. _Wake up!_ a voice commanded. Kit rolled over and mumbled something sleepily.

_Get up now!_ the voice insisted, its words accompanied this time by a sharp nip on the arm.

"Ow! Hey! What's going on?" Kit demanded, sitting up amongst random clumps of blanket and rubbing the red spot forming on his arm. He glared at the black wolf with its paws on his bed. She looked completely unrepentant and twitched her ears in the direction of the door, growling nervously. Kit glanced from her to the door, then opened his mouth, but she seized his arm in her jaws and gripped it warningly.

_Quiet._ Kit stilled and listened.

_What? _he asked finally in mindspeech.

_I heard something._ She said, releasing his arm and cocking her head from side to side while pacing about the room. _And I smell Shadows,_ she declared. _Close by_.

_What on earth do you mean?_ Kit asked irritably.

_They're not from Earth_. she corrected him, pausing her pacing. _They're from my world, I think. That is what I was told at least. The Shadows followed us here when we were exiled. They almost killed us all. Her mindvoice dropped to a lower tone. They killed my family._

_How can a shadow kill anything?_ Kit wanted to know.

_They aren't real shadows; we just call them that. I don't really know much about them. Mother told me some, but not much of it made any sense. I think they were once werewolves, like me, but something went wrong on our world - I remember hearing something about a Dark Book and Guardians and forgotten or forbidden spells. At any rate, some of us were transformed into monsters -- silent, dark, and deadly, swift as thought and vicious as the demons of hell. Their power came at the price of their souls, but it was worth it to them. They became immortal - unless they're killed, but so far no one's been able to kill them, so we're not sure if they're actually immortal or not - and partially intangible. They can make themselves ghostlike when they want; no more tangible than mists or shadows. This is why we call them Shadows._

_What do they look like?_ Kit asked.

_Like wolves,_ She said. _But different. They are sometimes no color that a normal wolf would be, and they have burning red eyes that seem to hide an endless void behind them._

_I think I've seen your Shadows before_, Kit mused. _I think they're what we call 'perytons'_. He looked around nervously. _And you smell them here?_

_Yes._ the wolf nervously began pacing around Kit's room again.

_Are you sure? I don't sense any._

_I could never mistake it -- the scent of bloodlust, death, and darkness. They are hunting me. I am the only surviving member of my family._

_I've dealt with perytons before_, Kit said with more confidence than he felt. _You're safe here._

_Do you still smell them?_

Electra walked around the room, sniffing the air. _No, the scent is fading now. They must have left._

"Well then," Kit switched back to verbal communication, "I'm going back to sleep then." He yawned, looked at his alarm clock, whose red numbers flashed 5:30, and lay back down, fully intending to sleep for another couple of hours.

_WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!_

A black bullet tore through the door and landed on his chest. "Ponch! Get off the bed!" Kit yelled through a mouthful of pillow. Ponch obediently leaped off the bed, but continued trying to nudge the pillow off Kit's face enough to lick him.

"I'm up! I'm up! What is it, boy?"

_Hungry. And smell something strange. Like wolf but not._

Kit frowned and pulled himself into a sitting position on the bed. "Do you still smell it?"

_No. New smell though. Like - like - camping._ the dog finally managed. _Like but not. Bigger._

"What?" Kit shook his head, trying to understand what Ponch was trying to communicate. "I don't get it."

_Hungry._ Ponch repeated, wagging his tail.

"Okay, okay. I understand THAT." He rolled out of bed and made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, accompanied by two sets of claws that clicked across the tile floor. He filled Ponch's dish automatically, then looked at Electra. Her silver eyes bore into his. An awkward silence ensued.

The wolf acted and sounded so human Kit wasn't sure what to offer her in the way of food. He didn't want to offend her by feeding her Ponch's kibble, but was equally unsure what else she could digest of the food available to him. He knew wolves usually ate deer and other wild prey - at least according to National Geographic - and he was pretty certain he didn't have any venison carcasses lying around. Before he could voice any of these concerns, a tremendous crash sounded from the backyard.

"Kit, if you've broken anything in the kitchen - !" A voice called from upstairs, leaving the sentence purposely unfinished, so that Kit's mind could automatically fill in the blank with a thousand choiceconsequences.

"Don't worry about it!" he yelled from the kitchen. Whoever it was muttered back something unintelligible, but Kit wasn't listening anymore anyway. He ran to the back door and stepped halfway outside, peering out into the yard in the grey morning light. "Whoa." He said.

_What is it?_ Electra asked, shoving at his knee with her nose, trying to make him move so she could see outside. Kit moved mechanically, allowing the wolf and Ponch out into the yard.

_Whoa._ the black wolf echoed the young wizard.

A bird stood in the middle of the yard; a bird that appeared to be made of living fire. It blazed and crackled; shining golden, crimson, and bright shades of oranges with blue and violet tinges, flames leaping about its body. It almost hurt to look at it, and the heat it emanated made it difficult to focus on it, and the mirage effect only made it more unbelievable to its audience. It spread its fiery wings and let out a shriek that had all the power of a raging bonfire behind it. Kit, Ponch, and Electra were nearly bowled over by the sound.

_What _is_ it?_ the black wolf asked.

_I have no idea._ Kit told her. _I've never seen anything like it._ He was still in awe of the creature.

_Smell like camping. _Ponch declared. _Except bigger._

_Yeah, I see what you mean Ponch. K_it said. The bird did indeed resemble a very large campfire.

_I think it's scared._ Electra declared.

_I'm going to try talking to it._ Kit said.

_Knock yourself out,_ the wolf said, sitting down as close to the door as possible. _I'm staying right here._

_Suit yourself._ Kit began slowly approaching the bird. It paced nervously back and forth, flaring its wings out, but didn't seem overly agitated, so Kit continued to get closer. He stopped in front of the creature and said clearly in the Speech, _I am on errantry and I greet you._

The bird let out a screech and leaped sideways into the patio furniture, scaring itself. It tried to fly, flapping its fiery wings frantically, but only succeeded in entangling itself further. Kit continued talking to it in the Speech, trying to calm it down, but it only screeched louder, and launched a more furious campaign to free itself. Without warning, everything touching the bird - lawn chairs, table, and lawn - burst into flames.

"Whoa!" Kit yelled aloudas flames licked at his shoes. He jumped back to the relative safety of the patio stones close to the door, searching for a spell to put out the flames, but he already knew it was too late. The fire was growing faster than any normal fire. In mere seconds it had become a blazing inferno, devouring the lawn and the fence, and hungrily creeping towards the house.

The bird's shrieks had obviously alerted the neighbors because even though it was not even six yet, Kit could hear someone screaming "Fire!" Before he could react, he heard the screaming sirens of emergency vehicles. Someone had called 911. Events turned into a blur.

Feet pounded down the stairs of the house. The bird shrieked from the middle of the raging fire, and raised its wings and tilted its head to the sky. It shrieked once more, then turned to ashes before his eyes. The back door banged behind him and there were gasps and demands of "what's going on?" "what happened?" "where did the fire come from?".

Seconds later two red fire engines pulled up and firefighters began attending to the blaze. Streams of water shot through the air and the fire hissed in protest like a living thing. Hands pushed Kit and his family out of the backyard and out to the street, a 'safe distance' away. Kit felt Electra and Ponch press against either side of his legs, walking with him. Faceless people surrounded him in the crowd that had gathered to see the fire - some neighbors, some just come to see something burning.

Despite its rapid ignition, the flames were put out swiftly before any serious damage could be done. Kit blinked slowly, still trying to process the chain of events. It didn't help that the fiery image of the bird seemed to be imprinted permanently on his retinas. Every time he closed his eyes he could still see it blazing before him, and even though he put his fingers in his ears, he could still hear its shrieks echoing around in his head and making his ears ring.

When things had settled down a little, Kit headed off for a walk. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going yet, he just had to get away from the crush of people to someplace where he had room to think and breathe. Soon he was on the well-trod path leading to the local park with his canine duo at his heels. _Play ball?_ Ponch asked hopefully.

_We'll see. _Kit answered distractedly.

Kit wandered aimlessly through the park, finally sitting down under a large tree in a quiet area and tried to piece his thoughts together. Ponch wandered off, the thought squirrel foremost in his mind. Kit wasn't worried. Ponch didn't get lost. Electra turned a circle, then lay down beside him, nose on his knee, looking for all the world like a loyal pet. Kit felt slightly awkward, but since he wasn't sure what, if anything, to say, he just ignored her and put his head in his hands in an attempt to still the slowly-fading echoey screeches of the firebird.

Living creatures were not Kit's specialty. He worked better with inanimate objects. If it was a T.V. remote or a car or a radio… anything electronic! But no… it _had _to be a bird. An animal. Where was Nita when he needed her?

_Neets?_ Kit sent out a tentative mindprobe. _You there?_

No answer. He pressed a little harder in his search. _Neets!_ Searching a little deeper through their link, he heard her mentally talking to herself. Terms he didn't know raced through her mind at breakneck speed,a few tricklingdown the telepathiclink to him. She appeared to be trying to build a spell, although he had no idea what type or for what purpose - he only recognized a few of the phrases and conjunctions.

Kit didn't want to invade her mind, but he did need her help. _Neets!_ he said louder, inthe mindspeech version of slamming a door or clearing ones throat - loud enough to get her attention.

_Hmm? Oh. Hi Kit._ Nita answered distractedly. Kit could still hear her mentally running through concepts, but much more faintly - she had closed off that section of her mind. _I'm sorry,_ she said. _I'm kind of in the middle of something here… can it wait a bit?_

_Yeah. Yeah I guess it can._ He said slowly, a bit annoyed that his partner didn't seem to have time for him. He could make her pay attention. He could tell her what had happened with the fire and the bird. Before the thought had fully formed in his mind he heard himself say, _My house almost burned down a couple hours ago and Electra thinks Shadows are responsible, and there was a crazy bird made of fire trying to turn my neighborhood into an inferno, but yea, it can wait._

Kit immediately mentally kicked himself. Nita didn't need to be worrying about his safety when she was busy and on assignment. It was immature of him to be jealous of Nita's attention, howeverhis bid for attention did have an immediate effect, as he knew it would.

_Kit! What happened! Are you okay?_

He felt the background noise of her mind tune out to focus on him. Although he still felt bad for worrying her, a small part of him was happy that he was now the center of her attention. Kit filled her in on the events of the morning and about Electra's suspicions regarding the 'Shadows'. _You wouldn't happen to know anything about birds that spontaneously combust, would you? _He asked.

_Actually…_ Nita's mindvoice took on a thoughtful tone. _What you described sounds remarkably like a phoenix - a mythological bird from Arabia, but to the best of my knowledge no real phoenixes exist._

_Well this was definitely real. I have the singe marks to prove it. _Kit declared.

_Are you sure you're ok?_ Nita's mindvoice still sounded worried.

_I'm alright. Honest._

_If you say so._ Nita replied doubtfully. _I'll look into your phoenix thing if you want. There's some weird stuff going on over here, and well, I don't know anything for sure yet, but I think your phoenix might fit in somehow. I know this sounds strange but with some of the stuff happening here, phoenixes actually make sense. Anyways, I'll keep you up to date, but I gotta go now. I'll talk to you later ok?_

_Okay._

_Be careful!_

_I will._

Kit felt her mentally tune out and slip away. Electra shifted beside him and looked up at him, a questioning look in her startling silver eyes. Kit shook his head. He didn't really want to talk. She seemed to understand, and without saying a word, she laid her muzzle back down on his leg. Kit leaned back against the rough bark of the tree and closed his eyes. He absently stroked the black wolf's head, his fingers tangling in her thick fur as visions of flames danced across his eyelids.

Fire sang in Kit's dream, its piercing voice ranging from the soft breath of a candle flame to the deafening roar of the deepest hellfires. It danced through his memories, casting flickering shadows into the deepest corners of his mind. In one dream, he saw the firebird, the phoenix, once again. It soared proudly in the desert sky, the hot bright Arabian sun complimenting with flashing whites and yellows the fiery crimsons and oranges of its plumage. It gave a great shriek and burst into flames, and just as suddenly turned to ashes.

As it did, a jagged slash of darkness split the sky, which turned from a bright blue to a stormy black in mere seconds. All light was drawn into the dark lightning, and shadowy creatures emerged from it, wolflike in shape, but larger than any normal wolf. They felt evil; twisted. Everything about them emanated a sense of wrongness, from their red-stained silver claws to their burning red eyes, to the green-tinged auras that shadowed them.

They snarled to each other in raspy barking voices, then one, deepest midnight in color, pointed his muzzle to the stormy sky and let out a howl to wake the dead shaking from their eternal slumber before snapping an order at his shadowy pack. As one, they howled, and more dark lightning flashed and sizzled in the air. A burnt smell permeated the atmosphere as the shadow pack leaped toward the tears in the sky and disappeared.

The world was dark and black, and thunder rumbled ominously in the heavens. Kit stared into the dreamsky wondering what he had just witnessed. Out of nowhere the shadow pack leader's face appeared before him, snarling. The midnight colored wolf turned its burning-coal eyes on him and Kit was immediately lost in their depths - sucked into the void behind those eyes. The pull was so strong that he could not tear his gaze away and the wolf's gaze burned painfully through his eyes and into his mind, where the pain amplified. Just when he thought he could bear it no more, the creature leaped at him, silver fangs flashing -

"AHHHHHhhh!" Kit yelled, opening his eyes and staring up into the leafy branches of the park tree.

_Are you okay?_ a voice asked.

Kit closed his eyes again then opened them to find himself staring into the coolsilverdepths of a black wolf's eyes; a wolf who, thankfully,looked nothing like the shadowcreature from his dream. _Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just … had a bad dream._

_Dreams are nothing to be taken lightly._ Electra said in a strange voice. _They are often useful in understanding certain situations, if interpreted correctly. They can also be a means of communication._

_Communication with who?_ Kit wanted to know.

_With Those who can use them as a medium to converse and share information._

"Well. That's really helpful." Kit said cynically.

_Just do not be to quick to dismiss them. Or forget them._

"I'll keep an open mind," he assured the wolf. _I seriously doubt I'll be forgetting that dream anytime soon. _He thought to himself. _And I'm certainly not dismissing it either. _


	11. Discovery

_**Chapter 10: Discovery**_

"Nita, what are you doing?" Ronan asked finally.

Nita pushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear and turned to look at him. "Sit down," she told him. "And I'll show you."

Ronan obligingly plunked himself down beside her on the grassy hillside. A grey mist had seemed to take form a flat screen in front of them. Using a pencil, Nita was drawing and erasing lines in the air. Shimmering white lines threaded through the fog-screen, intersecting here and there with Nita's lines.

"These-" Nita pointed her pencil at the shimmering lines, "are hyperlinks. Hyperlinks connect all Gates, remember?" At his nod, she continued. Pointing at bright spots where the shimmering lines occasionally crossed, she said, "These are hypernodes, the places where Hyperlinks cross. It's easiest to set up Gates on hypernodes, because the power collects in the nodes. The more hyperlink crossings, the bigger and more powerful the node." She turned at looked at Ronan. "With me so far?"

"Yeah. So what are those?" he pointed at her pencil lines.

"Those are other hyperlinks that intersect with Earth's."

"Other Hyperlinks? From where?"

Nita shrugged. "All over. Other planets, other dimensions, other universes. Take your pick. No one is absolutely sure. It's hard to do anything with them without screwing up something; usually a Gate. Most people just let the cats worry about them. They're better at Gate stuff anyway."

"So why are we worried about them? If we throw Gates offline no one's gonna thank us."

"It might be unavoidable, but lets hope not. The thing is, this -" she waved her hand at the fog-screen, "shows me a detailed map of all the hyperlinks in this area."

"Well that's great but what's it got to do with anything?"

"Quiet! I'm getting there!" Nita glared at him, then redirected her attention to the screen in front of them. "Anyways, like I said I was playing around with the settings and, well, check this out." She touched the eraser on the tip of her pencil to a marking on the screen. The grey screen instantly turned green in color and showed several bold black lines slashing across it. Where the black lines occasionally intersected, there was a dark point so black that it looked like a void."

"What on Earth is all _that?_"

"Well that's exactly what I wanted to know. I'm still not entirely sure. I just have some ideas based on my research."

"Well that's better than nothing. Care to share them?"

Nita bit her lip. "Alright. It appears to be an alternate variation of Earth's hyperlinks superimposed over the existing systems."

"In English please? Or at least _some_ recognizable dialect?"

"Basically, it's a view of an alternate Earth's hyperlinks superimposed over the real ones. In other words, these," she waved at the green screen with its odd black hyperlinks, "don't actually exist, or at least not in this reality, or this dimension, whatever you want to call it. But they _could _be or _are_ real in a different reality or dimension. I think what I'm seeing here is our real hyperlinks - the shimmery ones - but every time I change the setting, I can see the hyperlinks of alternate or parallel dimension Earths. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of." Ronan frowned, trying to absorb the foreign concepts. "You really have put a lot into this, haven't you?"

"Yeah. But that's not all. Take a look at this." Nita touched the screen again, and it returned to its original grey color with shimmering lights threaded through the map displayed. Nita pointed at one section of the map, which obligingly isolated and enlarged her selected section. She touched another point, zooming in on a specific section.

"Where is that?" Ronan asked.

"This is where I live. New York City. Look." She tapped something on the screen with her pencil. "Look at this."

"So? Its just a line? What's it stand for? A road or something?"

Nita shook her head and tapped the screen again. The screen dissolved into green and black, with a bold black line in the exact same place it had been on the previous screen. She returned the screen to its original settings and looked at Ronan. "It's one of those other hyperlinks." She said. "I'm not positive, but that's what I think it is. And look at this." She zoomed out again and selected a different section of the map.

"Hey, that's your aunt's place, isn't it?" Ronan recognized the area.

"Yeah. Check this out."

A dark spot covered a section of the map. Nita wordlessly switched the settings. Ronan examined it, then watched as Nita switched the settings back. "So the node is in both Earths? Like the hyperlink? What's it mean?"

"I learned something else interesting," Nita said.

"Oh?" Ronan gave her a quizzical look, ignoring her apparent avoidance of his question.

"Mind you, I'm not entirely sure about this, since the people who write this stuff either have no clue what they're talking about, or speak some crazy science dialect that's impossible to translate unless you know what they're talking about already, but…" She pulled out her manual and opened it to a well creased spot. "Notes, please." she said. The manual complied, and several pages of notes in Nita's handwriting appeared. "It seems to me that the kernels are not only power sources, but something more."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure if there's a word for it. They are like, like... the soul of a world; a living thing in and of themselves and they seem to feed off possibilities. The more creative the people of a world are, and the more they develop possibilities, the more powerful their worldkernel is and the more alternate dimensions a world has. Earth's seems to be pretty powerful, by the way. But apart from that, the thing is, the kernels also seem to be … calibrated to a certain reality. I'm not sure how or by who, but this reality is 'real' because that is how the kernel is programmed, so to speak."

"Now you're losing me…" Ronan shook his head slowly.

"Ok, basically the kernels hold all the possibilities of a world - the collective imaginings of everyone on Earth, such as this reality - the one we're living in -, and others. For example, mythical history or created worlds, like from books or movies. They're all stored in the world kernel and it is powered by our creativity, for lack of a better explanation. The thing is, the kernel has to understand what is real and what's not. We can't live in a world that's constantly switching between realities, so someone or something has - for lack of a better term - programmed Earth's kernel - and all other worldkernels - to understand and display a certain reality. For us, it means that this," she waved her hand around her, "these rocks, these trees, this ocean, this sky; this is 'real' to us because this is the reality programmed into the kernel."

"Alright. So if say, a different reality was programmed in, like from… oh I don't know, Star Wars or something, then…?"

"Then the world would respond accordingly. Then things like blasters and wookies would be 'real'. And if it was some mythical reality that was programmed in, we'd expect to see gods on Mount Olympus and flying horses and medusas and things."

"That's amazing," Ronan said frankly. "My head hurts just thinking about it."

"No kidding." Nita agreed. "The thing is, I think something's tampered with the programming of our kernel."

"What?"

"Yeah. Seriously!" she said, looking at his disbelieving expression.

"The node is right on Ballyvolan, Ronan. Right on the fault. Where the dragon and the winged horse came from."

"Great Powers!" Ronan swore softly. "But how could someone tamper with the kernel? It's got to be hard to play around with that sort of thing, otherwise the world would constantly be shifting realities. Someone would be bound to notice after a while, or so you'd think."

"I know." Nita looked troubled. "That's what I don't know. How anyone's doing this, or why, or how to fix it."

"Maybe that's where we come in."

"How, Ronan? Tell me, how? This is impossible! It's huge! It's crazy! We're not scientists! I practically failed physics last semester! How on Earth are we supposed to fix anything? It's too big for us! And we don't even have anywhere to start!" Nita leaned back hard and lay flat on her back on the grass, the gray fog-screen still floating before her as she stared up at the clouds.

"I can't answer that. But maybe the answer will present itself. The Powers don't give out assignments that are totally out of a wizard's abilities."

"Maybe this time they have." Nita maintained stubbornly. "I can't do this. They can't expect me to!"

"You're forgetting something." He told her.

"What?"

"Its not just you. _We_ are in this together, like it or not. I'll help you. I think I was meant to help you. That's why we both got the feeling. We're supposed to work together."

Nita looked doubtful still, sitting up to stare at the lines across the screen again. Ronan put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It'll be ok." He said. "We'd best get to work though." Nita felt better and worse at the same time.

* * *

"Hey Nita," Ronan called from behind a wall of books across the room, "You may want to have a look at this."

Nita marked her page, set her book down, and picked her way through the various research materials that lay scattered everywhere towards Ronan. He pushed aside two stacks of books to make room for her. "Look at this!" he said excitedly, waving a book with cracked yellow pages and an ancient, musty-smelling cover. Nita leaned over for a better look and Ronan put his finger under the passage he wanted to draw her attention to.

"The Shadows first came from Vernalla, the world entrusted with the Guardianship. Strange things began to occur - myths and legends came alive, and the world began to behave strangely. To those with wizardry, it appears to be changing its very fabric and shifting from one time and place to another. We do not know how it is happening. Time, space, and the very fabric of the world itself seems to buckle around us…"

"Wow," Nita said, and looked from the book back to Ronan. "Who wrote this?"

Ronan flipped the book around and opened it to the first page.

"Journal of… Councillor Nikez of Yazaan, Senior Planetary Advisory." Nita read. "Interesting. Where the heck is Yazaan? Or Vernalla for that matter? And this is great as an informational source, but if they didn't know how to fix things then, then how does it help us fix things now?"

"One thing at a time," Ronan held up a finger. "Why don't you check your manual and look up Vernalla and Yazaan, while I keep reading. I'll tell you if I find anything interesting."

"Alright." Nita leaned back against a stack of books and paged to the index in her manual as Ronan flipped back to the interesting passage in his journal-book. Both settled into a companionable working silence, marred only by the soft fluttering of pages being turned and the occasional sneeze and accompanying dust cloud.

"Found it," Nita remarked, paging through a section about the locations of planetary bodies.

"Where is it?" Ronan put down his book and leaned over to look over her shoulder.

"Here." She called up a map showing five neighboring galaxies. "Ok, that -" she pointed at a bright spiral galaxy, "is us." She tapped a flat spiral galaxy across from the bright spiral of the Milky Way and watched as the map isolated that galaxy and zoomed in on it. "This is the Triangulum Galaxy. Yazaan is located in the Cryo Arm." She tapped a section of one of the galaxy's spiraling arms, "in the solar system of the binary stars Qaaya VII and Quaaya Oochee," she tapped a bright double star with the stellar classification A0-1V scripted under it. "Third planet from the star… here." She tapped a reddish planet with her pencil and the manual obligingly isolated the planet and magnified it, while the opposite page scrolled through basic planetary statistics. "The planet Yazaan." Nita declared.

"Great." Ronan said. "Now where is Vernalla?"

Nita tapped her map several times, zooming in on a different section of the Triangulum Galaxy. "Here… Wolf's Arm, solar system of the star Raff, second planet. Vernalla."

"Its very … green." Ronan commented.

"According to the manual, it was inhabited by werewolves. They never forested it, and lived very close to nature. Well I suppose you'd have to if you were a wolf half the time," Nita mused.

"Hold it one second…_was_ inhabited? As in past tense? Who lives there now?"

"Oh, um…" Nita consulted the book in her lap. "No one. Huh. That's weird. Why's it still in here if … wait a second…" Ronan looked on with interest as she called up a more recent list of the planets in the solar system of the star Raff. Vernalla was not among them. "This can't be right," Nita muttered. "Bleddyn, Eyulf, Felan, Mingan, Ulric, and Z'ev. Six planets, not seven. No Vernalla. Where is it?"

"It was destroyed," Ronan said suddenly. "It disappeared into the Void nearly fifty years ago."

"The Void? What's that?" Nita didn't question the authenticity of his information. Irish wizards might not have manuals, but they had other ways of obtaining necessary information.

"I'm not sure. What I'm getting is a sort of… memory from someone… or something. I see the planet in orbit, then I see it falling into a … sort of … black abyss or a darkness; a shadow. They called it the Void. Then there's a blue flash, and the entire planet just… dies. It turns black and then is swallowed by the shadow."

"Blue flash?" Nita questioned.

"Yeah. I can't find anything about that. Apparently there were wizards active on Vernalla at the time that it was destroyed. There was some sort of a falling out between two factions as well. It has been suggested that the flash was a last attempt by those wizards to save some of the inhabitants of their world. No one knows exactly what happened though."

"Interesting." Nita's mind was racing back to Kit, her partner, and his werewolf companion back home. She wondered if Electra could shed any light on their situation. She was about to suggest a visit back home to Ronan when he suddenly asked her to call up her fog-screen again.

"We have to go outside then," she told him, "preferably somewhere away from the worst of the overlays."

"Lets go then." He scooped several books into his knapsack, grabbed Nita's arm, and fairly dragged her out of the room.

* * *

"What's this all about?" she asked.

"I just had a thought. I want to check something," he said. "I'll do it myself if you'll teach me how." He said apologetically.

"No, its ok. It'll be faster if I do it. It's one of my personal wizardries. It's kind of like a projection of my manual, so I'm not sure how well it'd translate for you." She closed her eyes and searched for the spell she wanted. It was a shortened version that she pulled out. She was in the middle of adding parameters when she heard a mindvoice calling her name. She tried to ignore it; whoever it was could wait. Then the voice became more insistent and she realized who it was.

_Hi Kit,_ she said absently, her mind still focused on her work. _I'm sorry, I'm kind of in the middle of something here. Can it wait a bit? _She really did want to talk to him, but Ronan was waiting… she told herself she'd make it up to Kit later.

Ronan watched Nita as she began weaving the wizardry, then, suddenly, in the middle of it, she sort of froze. Unsure whether to say or do anything, he simply looked on. Finally she came out of it, opening her eyes, and refocusing. "Sorry." was all she said, before closing her eyes again. This time the fog screen appeared shortly. "What was that all about?" he asked finally.

"Nothing. Just Kit. I need to talk to him later." A troubled look passed over her face.

"Is everything ok?"

"I think so. Just…some things to think about. Anyways. What did you want to do with this?" she asked him, indicating the fog-screen before her.

"Make it show the hyperlink things again," he told her.

Nita obligingly called up the view he had asked for.

Ronan touched the screen, calling up a different map. Nita recognized the Triangulum Galaxy, as he unerringly isolated and magnified the solar system of the star Raff in the Wolf's Arm of the spiral. Then he tuned the settings. A huge black node appeared, located between the first planet of the system, Bleddyn, and the second planet, Felan. Large black lines crossed the entire system, and spread out from there like a network of black spider's threads. Ronan touched a few more sections, travelling down the length of one of the threads. They found it crossing three more black nodes in the Triangulum Galaxy - two other dead planets and a dead star.

Nita took over then, hands shaking, as she returned again to dead Vernalla and used the map to trace other threads. Through dead world after dead world they followed the deadly progress of the strands as they tightened their grip around the Galaxy and began spreading outward. They spent several hours consulting the fog screen before Nita finally had to drop the wizardry. It was a new and rather draining wizardry, since she hadn't yet had time to figure out how to make it more energy efficient.

"Ok. So, what do we know now?" Ronan asked, lying on his back and trying not to think about the significance of their discovery.

"Well," Nita began, "We know that the source of the dark threads is Vernalla. We know that Vernalla is dead. We know that whatever killed Vernalla has continued to destroy planets." She drew a shuddering breath. "Six hundred twenty-three planets and eighty stars in the Triangulum Galaxy alone. Not all of which were inhabited, but still…" her voice trailed off.

"It's mainly centered in the Triangulum Galaxy though," Ronan stated. "Still that doesn't look good."

"Yeah. For the most part. We didn't follow all the threads but it doesn't look like they have many threads in the rest of our Galaxy Cluster - none in the Large or Small Magellanic Clouds, and virtually none in the Milky Way… just our solar system, and one or two threads on the other side of the Galaxy. But they have a pretty hefty presence on Andromeda. Six systems, a binary star, and eighteen planets, six of which were inhabited. Vernalla is the only world that had active wizards on it when it perished though."

"The main problem is why some of the threads are switching realities. How are they able to cross over into our reality? And why?" Ronan mused. "You know, I'm starting to agree with you. This is huge, maybe too big for us.


	12. To See the World in a Grain of Sand

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry this updates taken a while... _Italics are mindspeech_ and page breaks are in breaks in time/pov .. etc. Enjoy! and PLZ PLZ review!**

_**Chapter 11: To See the World in a Grain of Sand…**_

Sirena paced around the Guardian's Chamber, ignoring the two white wolves standing still as statues before the opening at the back of the cavern. _Airon, what do we do?_ she asked helplessly.

The gold wolf rose from the place he had been sitting to stand beside her. _I don't know Sirena. What does your heart tell you? You were always closest to the Powers and the Wizardry. That is why you are Packleader._

_Airon, it is my fault. My fault twice over! First for disobeying the Law; taking a mate and raising a pup; second for not being there when she was captured!_

_If it makes you feel any better, pup-making takes two, so I'm just as responsible._

_No you're not. You were the responsible one. I talked you into it. You didn't - you wanted to wait. You knew I'd be named Packleader_. Sirena choked and turned away, unable to meet his gold eyes with her green ones.

Airon licked her ear. _I had a good inkling. And we aren't mates, so there is no Lawbreaking._

_Only by technicality. Neither of us ever Declared the other as mate because by Law, the Packleader isn't allowed to have a mate. _Sirena's words fell bitterly. _They only let me keep Avrina because they thought I became pregnant with her before I was appointed Packleader, and because I told them her father had died. It is acceptable since it supposedly did not occur during the time I was Packleader, or was being considered for Packleader. But we knew. And the confusion and chaos of that time made it easy to hide. It has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life: to live my life for duty, seeing you every day and not being able to declare what we should have been allowed to celebrate together. I curse the day I came to rule this Pack!_

_Sirena! You have been a blessing to the Pack! It has prospered under you! You should be proud._

_Proud! Of course! When my own daughter is kidnapped by Oathbreakers under my very nose!_

Airon ignored her biting sarcasm. _What will you do?_

_I cannot give them the Book - it goes against every Law since the Dawn of Time. Wizards do not deal with Oathbreakers. We do not cave in to their terrorism. We do not meet their demands. Particularly not when they ask for weapons of immense destruction. But as a mother, I cannot do nothing and let my daughter die. They will kill her, Airon._ she said simply. _Whether they get what they want or not. They don't care. And it could be even more dangerous than just what concerns Avrina. _Her eyes took on a haunted look.

_What do you mean?_ Airon's golden eyes narrowed.

_Don't you see? I just realized it. If we don't give them the Book, they will simply use Avrina to get it. My blood flows in her veins - mine and yours - two of the three who originally erected these Gates. The Sacrifice of Pentacles would be all they needed to pass through the Gates and take the Book themselves._

_Checkmate._ Airon whispered softly.

_If I give them the Book, we lose. If I refuse, we lose, and Avrina dies either way. It is a decision I cannot make._ She looked out of the cavern entrance at the moon setting over the mountains. _I have two more days._

* * *

Raamath paced agitatedly. _Are they bringing the Book?_

_She is not come yet, but the night is young._ Kiera told him. _We'd best prepare for the Sacrifice anyway, in case she refuses._

_She would condemn her own daughter?_ Raamath jeered haughtily._ She who would be the savior of the worlds will not even rescue her own blood. They deserve to die. All of them._ His disgust was evident. _I will not be sorry when I finally bathe this world in the blood of wizards._

A cinnamon colored scout appeared from the woods. He made a beeline for Raamath and approached, eyes lowered submissively. _Begging your leave, Packleader, but the Wizard approaches._

_Ah. Good. Has she the Book?_

_Not-not with her, Great One, but-but she could have stashed it in a claudication?_

_Perhaps. Go! Return to your post! _The scout scampered off, and Raamath called over two of the six guards stationed at the base of Claw Mountain. _Go and… welcome the wizard, mm?_ He told them.

The guards grinned toothily and loped off in the direction the scout had indicated. Seconds later they returned dragging between them a familiar snarling black and silver shape.

_So you have come after all._

Sirena jerked around, tearing her ruff out of the teeth of one guard. She knew that voice.

_And all alone too._ Raamath emerged from the shadows of the ledge he'd been standing on, and effortlessly leaped down the mountainside._ Where is the Book?_

_Raamath! Traitor. Airon was right._ Sirena snarled.

_Oh please. Don't tell me you hadn't guessed already. You just didn't have any proof; you or that oaf, Airon. Incompetence can get you killed, you know._ He smiled widely, baring crimson-stained fangs to emphasize his words. _Now hand over the Book._

_I did not bring it. _Sirena stood firm, wondering what Raamath had done to Airon.

Raamath snarled out a string of expletives. _You have brought this doom upon yourself. He turned to Keira who had stolen up beside him. Alert the others. We perform the Sacrifice of Pentacles tonight._

_Wait._ Sirena barked.

_Change of heart?_ Raamath jeered.

_I demand the right of Substitution. _Sirena drew herself up and stared straight into the grey wolf's silver-tinted eyes. _You cannot refuse it. It is more ancient than any other Law on Vernalla. Take me and Avrina goes free._

_Even better than I'd hoped. Your blood is far more useful than Avrina's. Particularly since you probably forgot to denounce your position as Packleader before you came to me, did you not? _The glint of fear in her eyes was answer enough for Raamath. _Take her, he directed the guards. And tell Connor to release the whelp._ A pair of wolves with reddish markings came forward and seized Sirena's ruff, dragging her roughly away.

_Wait!_ she declared, digging her claws into the ground and creating deep furrows in the earth. _You keep your end of this bargain first! I want to see Avrina set free._

_Oh, very well. _Raamath gave a short sharp howl. A copper colored wolf appeared dragging a bundle of black and silver fur.

As soon as it felt the copper wolf's teeth released it, the bundle jumped to life, snarling and bristling. _Get away from me you Oathbreaking traitors! Then she caught sight of Sirena, held by her two wolf guards. Mother!_

Sirena was almost knocked off her feet by the wave of pain that emanated from her daughter.

_I won't leave you! _the smaller black wolf howled mournfully.

Avrina's ex-guard began snarling at her. _Better get going before our merciful Packleader changes his mind._ He warned the young wolf.

Avrina snarled nervously at him, glancing back at her mother, unspoken questions racing through her mind._ Why? Mother?_

_'To see the world in a grain of sand/ And Heaven in a wildflower /Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand/ And Eternity in an hour'._ Sirena's words pierced straight through Avrina's mental fog of indecision.

_Shut up!_ Raamath roared at Sirena, cuffing her with a heavy paw. _Get her! He snapped at the guards._

_Run! _Sirena commanded. Avrina took to her paws, ears flat against her skull as she fairly flew in the direction of the woods with the copper wolf loping lazily after her. The wolf returned shortly, without Avrina, to the relief of Sirena.

_Take her away,_ Raamath ordered. _We don't have much time. The pup will surely alert the whole pack of good wizardly doggies, and I for one intend to have the Book in my jaws before they have time to interfere with my efforts again. The TrueDark won't last much longer He gazed grimly out on a black world.

* * *

_

Avrina came streaking into camp as if all the demons of the seventh circle were on her tail, slamming straight into a circle of elders consulting around an orb of wizard light.

_Great Powers, pup, where have you been?_

_Where is Sirena?_

_What is going on?_

The questions pelted her from all sides._ I-I- um,_ she began, stammering and trying to catch her breath, retreating from the onslaught of inquiries. Then she felt herself back into a strong shoulder. _Nysarl! _She said, relieved to see a familiar face.

_I was so worried about you!_ He sounded as though he couldn't decide whether to berate her or nuzzle her.

Avrina saved him the decision by burying her muzzle in his silver-grey ruff and breathing in his familiar scent. _It's all a mess! They have mother! She traded herself for me, and now they'll only get the Book anyways! And it's all my fault! It's all my fault!_

_Shhh… slow down._ Nysarl told her, nudging her around to face the elders. _I think we all need to hear what happened.

* * *

_

Locked away in a cavern in Claw Mountain, Sirena lay, head on her paws, hoping - praying - that her daughter would figure out her cryptic message. Perhaps, perhaps there was still a chance. It would be painful. There would be death and sacrifice, but there was just the slightest chance that some would survive, and, more importantly, that they could keep the Book from the clutches of Raamath. _Guide her, Powers that Be. I did not have time to teach her nearly enough. For the sake of the Universe, show her what to do.

* * *

_

_… 'To see the World in a grain of sand/ And Heaven in a wildflower/ Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand/ And Eternity in an Hour.' Then he hit her, and told the guards to get me, and - and I ran. Here. _Avrina finished. _I couldn't do anything!_ Her mindvoice was shot through with pent-up frustration and raw emotion._ She's going to die and it's my fault._

_Now hold on. No one is dying yet. I don't see how they can get the Book, even with Sirena as a hostage._

_The Sacrifice of Pentacles._ Avrina said, almost inaudibly. _It's what they were trying to do when they caught me. I interrupted the ritual. They'll use mom. Her blood's far more powerful than mine._

A collective sharp indrawn breath escaped the council of elders. _But where would they get the particulars for a ritual like that? I am sure none of the Books of Power have left the Library in centuries! And those Books in particular are very carefully regulated._

_This is Raamath we're talking about,_ Nysarl reminded them. _It would be nothing for him to access to a Book; even copy out the information on the pretense of teaching the recruits what to avoid. Who monitored his access? _The silence was deafening. _I thought as much._

_As a Founder he had free reign._ An elder said slowly, the consequences of this only now becoming evident. _Alright. So he can perform the Sacrifice of Pentacles. Oh it makes perfect diabolical sense. The Sacrifice holds even more power during the time of the TrueDark, when we are confined to wolf-shape and our wizardly powers are diminished. When the first light of the moons breaks the TrueDark, he will use the focused power to break through the Gates and take the book. What can we do?_

_I think my mother was trying to tell me something before I ran. Her last words - they must be important! - I just can't … make sense of them._

_I'm sorry young one,_ one of the elders attempted to comfort her. _I have never even heard that saying before. I don't know what your mother was trying to say, but we have little time, and much to do. We must concentrate on fortifying the Cave of Guardians against the coming siege._ The elder nodded at the other wolves in the circle. As one they rose and headed out into the night, the orb of wizard light vanishing without a sound. _Battle is brewing, and I fear if we lose the Book … well,_ she shook her head as if the consequences of such a thing were beyond the realm of imagination. _I will leave her with you,_ she nodded at Nysarl, and followed her companions into the shadows of the forest.

Avrina stared at the silver-grey wolf, her silver-flecked green eyes boring into his steel-grey ones. _Nysarl, I'm sure my mother gave me that for a reason. She wouldn't have wasted her last words to me. There is something she wants me to do. Only I don't know what. Help me. Please?_

_You know I'd do anything for you. _Nysarl said, licking her ear. _Where do you think we should start?_

_'To see the World in a grain of sand'…_ Avrina mused. _The Globe of the Worlds!_

_What?_

_Come on!_ Avrina dragged her fangs lightly through his fur as she raced off, leaving Nysarl scrambling to catch up.

* * *

_It's here._ Avrina's footsteps echoed hollowly through the massive cavern. 

Nysarl stared up in awe. The white limestone walls curved up into a massive dome a hundred feet above his head, but his attention moved immediately to the massive glass globe set on a pedestal in the center of the circular room. _What _is_ that?_ He asked his companion.

_The Globe of Worlds_. Avrina told him._ Haven't you ever been in here?_

_Not just anyone can get through the Gates,_ Nysarl pointed out dryly.

_Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so used to coming in here with mother, I forgot most can't even get through the Gates. I've never been farther than the entrance to the Third Gate of the Cave of Guardians though._

_Which is farther than most ever see. _Avrina nodded in acknowledgement, and Nysarl continued. _But what does any of this -_ he cocked his head at the Globe _have to do with your mother's riddle?_

_Do you know what glass is made from?_

_Sand… wait. Avrina, it must have taken the sand from a whole beach to make this Globe!_

_Nope. One grain. The Globe was a wizardry brought to Vernalla by the Ambassador of Cordeira. He took one grain of sand from the beaches of his homeworld, expanded it, and created the Globe, then filled it with more sand. Given the special properties of sand from Cordeira…_

_The Sands of Cordeira? Like in those crystals that are used to scry locations?_

_The very same. Enhanced by wizardry, the Globe can show you anywhere you want to see - well… within limits. It's range is restricted to the world where it currently rests._

_'To see the World in a grain of sand'_ Nysarl's voice held a touch of awe.

_Yes. But I still don't understand the rest of it. Heaven in a wildflower? Infinity in the palm of my hand? Eternity in an hour?_

_Well the first line led us here. Maybe we're supposed to see something in the Globe?_ Nysarl suggested.

_But what?_

_Hey, I'm just the sidekick. You're the Guardian's daughter. I'm not even a wizard!_

_Well at least I can check on mother. _Avrina decided, climbing the steps to the top of the pedestal.

She sat down before the shimmering surface and closed her eyes, raising one paw to the Globe's surface. The second her pads touched it, a fierce shudder coursed through her as the Globe recognized her wizardry. _Show me my mother!_ She commanded it.

Colors swirled within the Globe as the sands inside sought the location she had requested. Seconds later the sands formed themselves into a picture. Avrina could make out Sirena imprisoned in the very cave Avrina had just escaped. Her mother was scratching symbols into the dirt floor. Avrina peered closer, trying to make out the runes.

_Show me the runes._ She told the Globe. It complied, magnifying her mother's work. Avrina recognized several of the marks now. One was her mother's favorite protection spell. Another was a damper spell - probably to keep Raamath's guards from discovering what she was doing - and there was another set of marks, which Avrina had never seen before. As she puzzled at the markings, trying to see if she could recognize even parts of them, a wave of darkness came rushing at her through the Globe. It swept over the image of her mother, blocking it from her sight, and funneled toward her. Avrina cried out, knocked back by the power of the darkness. Desperately she tried to break the connection between herself and the Globe.

Nysarl sat behind her, tail curled around his feet, well out of the way like the trained guard he was. _Rule number one - don't get in the way of the wizard. _he muttered to himself. At Avrina's cry, however, he snapped to attention.

The sand in the Globe was whirling madly and a kaleidoscope of colors shone over the shimmering surface. Avrina was howling in pain, but seemed unable to move. _Powers help me,_ Nysarl whispered as, against all his training, he grabbed Avrina's ruff between his teeth and pulled her away from the Globe, severing the connection between wizard and Globe.

She shuddered violently in his grip, then her eyes snapped open. _They saw me. They saw me trying to figure out her wizardry. Oh Powers! I think I might have given her away!_

_All the more reason to solve this riddle quickly._ Nysarl said grimly. _Did you see anything that could help us?_

_No._ she shook her head sadly. _I don't understand it! How can you see Heaven in a wildflower? It doesn't make any sense!_

_Maybe we're not looking at it from the right angle. _Nysarl said reasonably.

_Well I can't find another angle!_

_Then it's very possible we're all going to die._

His grave tone awoke something fierce within her._ We're not going to die! Come on. Plan B._

_And Plan B is?_

_The library._

_Do we have time for this?_

_Can we afford not to?_ Avrina countered.

_Lead on,_ Nysarl surrendered.

* * *

_What exactly were you planning on looking up?_ Nysarl asked as they ran. 

_Wildflowers._ Avrina replied. _I was thinking maybe something would jog my memory._

_What could wildflowers have to do with Heaven?_

_Well that's the seventh-level question, now isn't it?_

_What do you think of when you think of Heaven. _Nysarl asked suddenly.

_Um… stars… worlds… the universe… why?_

_Just an idea._

_What do stars make you think of? _the silver-grey wolf continued.

_Etherium._ she replied.

_What the heck is 'Etherium'?_

_It's a type of stone,_ Avrina explained. _Also called 'caelium'. Its name means literally 'skystone' or 'heavenstone'. Mother told me about it. She once took me to these caverns where it was mined once, a long time ago, and showed me. I wish you could have seen it. We went to this one cavern and she turned off her wizard light. It scared me, and I told her to turn it back on, but she just told me to wait; that there was something she wanted me to see. And then the whole cavern lit up. There were tiny points of light everywhere, coming from the roof of the cavern, the walls, the floor, everywhere. It looked like all the stars had fallen and lodged in that cavern._

_Wow. It sounds amazing._

_It was. Mother said the ancients used to use it a lot. I forget what for though. There was a special place they worked with it - a valley called - by the Powers! _She exclaimed suddenly.

Nysarl gave her a puzzled look. _That's an interesting name for a valley,_ he commented.

_Nysarl! I've figured it out!_

_Figured what out?_

_'Heaven in a wildflower!' The name of the valley they worked with etherium - 'heavenstones' - is Algoma-maylea! Valley of the Wildflowers!_

_Okay. So are we supposed to go there?_

_No… it's too far away. We'd never get there in time. It's all the way at the tip of the continent. I think…I think there's something there we're supposed to see. That's why she told us to 'see the World in a grain of sand'. We're supposed to use the Globe to see it._

_Oh you are_ not_ touching that thing again!_ Nysarl declared, but Avrina had already reversed direction and was loping back in the direction of the cavern that housed the Globe of Worlds.

(A/N: The lines: "To see the World in a grain of sand/ And Heaven in a wildflower/ Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand/ And Eternity in an hour" are not mine - they're from a poem by William Blake. )


	13. The Gryphon and the Girl

A/N: Hey, if ANYONE'S actually reading this, could you please, please review? I need to know if anyone's still reading or if I should just drop this story... It doesn't take long.. just click the little purple button... Thanks,

KS

" "is spoken, _italics is mindspeech_, **bold is thoughts, **page breaks indicate time/pov changes

_**Chapter 13: The Gryphon and the Girl**_

"Um, I'm sorry, but dogs are not allowed in public libraries."

"Huh?" Kit turned to see a boy about his own age wearing a badge that read 'Library Volunteer' looking at him uncomfortably. "Oh, I'm sorry." Electra followed him everywhere, and he barely thought of her as a 'dog' anymore. "Sorry girl, you'll have to stay out here." He told her. She looked decidedly annoyed. "Uh, sit, stay!" he said, mostly for the benefit of the volunteer boy.

With a sigh of annoyance, the black wolf lay down in front of the bike racks at the entrance and set her head on her paws, glaring at him with flashing silver eyes.

_Hey, it's not my fault! They can't just break the rules for me._ Kit told her in mindspeech.

_I'm not a dog._

_So you've said. But you don't look very human to him_ - Kit glanced meaningfully at the volunteer boy. _And that's really all that counts at the moment. So unless you just turn yourself human, you'll have to wait out here._

_I can't turn human until tonight._

_What so special about tonight?_

_It's the full moon._

_So all that stuff about wolves and the moon is actually true?_

_Not all of it. It's easiest to change during the full moon, and impossible to change during the new moon. The rest varies with the individual._

_Well, that's just peachy. I'm going to go look up phoenixes now. You have no idea how crazy this sounds - I'm talking to a werewolf and researching mythical creatures. My life as a wizard!_ Kit threw up his hands to emphasize his words, then turned back to the library and disappeared inside the building.

Two hours later, Electra had lost patience with Kit. _Where _are_ you!_ she asked him loudly in mindspeech.

_Neets? _Kit tuned in on the mindvoice calling to him.

_Not hardly_. The wolf replied dryly. _What the Powers are you_ doing_ in there?_

_Research._

_Well you wanna share the knowledge? That was a not-so-subtle hint to come out. Since as you so kindly pointed out, I can't just come in and haul you out myself._

_Alright, alright! I'm coming. Sheesh._

Five minutes later, Kit walked out the door with an armload of books. _C'mon,_ he said to the wolf, who muttered an exasperated _Finally_, and rose to her paws. _Let's get this stuff home where I can look at it properly.

* * *

__And what does this have to do with research?_ Electranosed several volumes of manga off the top of Kit's stack, which was currently being sorted on his bedroom floor.

"Nothing. That's my… vacation reading. It's summer!" he defended himself, sliding the volumes under the bed. "Besides. They could be useful."

_Kit,_ the wolf gave him a look of exaggerated patience. _We are not dealing with -with half-demons -_

_Hanyou._ Kit interjected.

_- or mutated biogenetic limbs or futuristic robot suits here. Not government conspiracies or crazed science experiments. Absolutely none of it has anything to do with our research._

_Since when did research consume all my reading time?_

_Since now._

_Who died and made you President?_ Kit muttered. Electra ignored him and continued sorting books.

Half an hour later found the black wolf paging alternately through two massive volumes entitled 'Gods and Monsters of Greek Mythology' and 'Flights of Imagination: The Origins of Mythical Creatures in Stories Around the World'. Kit was clicking up random sites on the internet that contained the keywords 'fire, bird, and phoenix'.

"Kit!" Carmela burst into the room. "The T.V.'s giving us trouble again. It's only tuning into shows from a different galaxy. I wouldn't mind, but, like, its not even in any understandable language. I mean, how am I supposed to follow what's happening if - hey is your dog _reading_? This place just gets weirder and weirder."

Kit jumped up from the computer and kicked the volumes Electra had been reading shut. "No, she's not reading. Dogs don't read. I'll come fix the T.V."

Electra gave a bark of indignation, and Carmela just rolled her eyes. "It's no skin off _my _back," she told him. "Just - mom thinks its weird, so don't let her see your pet doing - you know - weird stuff. Like reading - what the heck was it reading anyway? She stooped down and picked up 'Gods and Monsters of Greek Mythology'. "Nice light reading this," Carmela commented, hefting the book. "Have fun with it." She set it back down in front of Electra. "T.V." She declared, refocusing on what hadbrought her upstairs in the first place andpointing Kit at the stairs.

"I'm going! I'm going!"

* * *

It took two hours to convince the T.V. to cooperate, and even then it still switched back to random odd broadcasts from the Small Magellanic Cloud.However Kit had at leastmanaged to get the subtitles activated and set to English. Carmela grumbled a little, and Kit promised he'd look at it again later, but he really had to take the dogs for a walk.

"Fine. At least I can tell what's happening now." Carmela acquiesced, flipping channels.

Kit patted the T.V. and walked out of the room, calling for Ponch.

"Hey boy," he said as the black dog ran up to him waving his shaggy tail. "Go find Electra and ask her if she wants to go for a walk."

_Ok boss!_ Ponch replied happily and bounded upstairs. He returned seconds later with the wolf in tow.

_Park?_ Kit asked.

They made their way over to the park where Kit found himself a spot under a tree and sat down to read. "Thought I might as well get some research done if I'm gonna be sitting anyway," he told Electra. The black wolf nodded in agreement, then lay down beside him, snout on his knee so she could read too. Ponch occupied himself chasing squirrels with a German shepherd and a noisy Cairn terrier.

Kit spent a good hour and a half immersed in the world of Greek mythology before Ponch came racing back across the park. _Trouble._ the dog said in a tone that broached no argument.

"What is it, Ponch?" Kit asked, closing the book, and getting to his feet, Electra at his heels.

_Flying cat-bird._ Ponch told him. _Chasing people. Go help?_

"Yeah I think we should. Show me where, Ponch?"

_This way, _the dog said, bounding forward.

"What the great Powers _is_ that?" Kit asked, astonished. Flying above them was a strange creature that appeared to be a crazy combination of eagle and lion. Huge golden wings beat against the blue sky, extending from a lion's broad shoulders, however an eagle's head rather than a cat's topped those shoulders, with fur giving way to feathers somewhere in the midst of its glossy mane.

_It's a gryphon. _Electra declared.

"What on earth is a… oh never mind, you can tell me later. The more important question is what the hell do we _do _with it?"

_Get it to come down, for starters,_ the black wolf commented dryly. _Wouldn't it be just great for half the city to see a gryphon flying around? If you catch it now at least keep necessary mindwipes to a minimum._

"Good idea. I need a plan though. I doubt it's gonna come down if I call 'here kitty' and put out a can of tuna. What do gryphons like?"

_I didn't get that far in the gryphon section. I do remember that they hate horses though._

"And what good does that tidbit of knowledge do us?"

_Well, I suppose if we had a horse we could use it as bait…_

"_If_ we _had_ a horse. Which we decidedly _don't_. Now what?"

_I don't know, wizard boy. You keep shooting down my ideas._ She retorted.

"What _ideas_?" Kit grumbled. "Ok, fine. We need a horse to lure it down, then maybe I can catch it. If I can remember that net spell."

_Can't you just project an image of a horse or something? _Electra asked.

"I dunno. I never tried. I'm not sure how I'd go about doing something like that."

_Check that damn manual of yours maybe._

"No need to get snippy," Kit muttered, pulling his manual from his claudication. He leafed through it quickly, aware of the minutes slipping by with the gryphon circling overhead. He didn't know how long it would stay over the park, or how long he could count on people to not see it.

_Uh oh, it's going!_ Electra informed him.

"Follow it!" Kit instructed, trying to follow the creature and keep his eyes on the manual at the same time.

_You're going to trip like that,_ the wolf observed.

Kit put one hand down and grabbed a handful of her ruff. "Play guide dog," he said, returning his concentration to his manual. Electra shrugged, and, together with Ponch, headed after the gryphon with Kit in tow.

"Ok, I think I've got it," Kit said about five minutes later.

_About time! _Electra growled. _It's gonna hit major roads soon!_

It took Kit about two more minutes to draw up the wizardry, convincing the air to turn opaque, and reflect the image of a horse. "Quick! How do we get it's attention?" he asked.

Electra grabbed his wrist in answer and twisted his hand. "Hey!" he protested, trying to snatch his hand back. The wolf only growled at him, and twisted his hand a few more times before releasing it.

"What was that all about?" he began, but was interrupted by a harsh shriek, and barely had time to fling himself out of the way before the gryphon dive-bombed the 'horse' he had created. The creature's paws passed right through the airy equine and the massive beast swooped back into the sky, circling for another dive.

_I used your watch to reflect sunlight,_ Electra told Kit. _Now can you trap that thing on its next dive? Or do you have some other ingenious plan?_

"I've got it covered," Kit said. "I'd have gotten him the _first_ time if you'd bothered to tell me what the heck you were doing."

_Sorry. _The wolf's tone was completely unrepentant.

Above them, the gryphon completed its circle and angled its wings, heading into another dive. This time, as it neared the 'horse', Kit added the final syllables to the spell he'd been holding in his mind. The air masquerading as a horse now wrapped itself around the gryphon and hardened into invisible bonds. It immediately began thrashing about, trying to free itself.

Kit made sure it was pinned tight before approaching it. He put a hand on its flank and, wishing, not for the last time, that he was as good with animals as Nita, told the beast to sleep. It took several tries and a good ten or fifteen nerve-wracking minutes, but the mythical beast was soon sleeping peacefully.

_I hope you're still holding onto that thing, _Electra eyed the gryphon nervously.

"I'm not stupid. It's taking a lot of power to hold it though, even when it's not moving. Air doesn't like being solid for very long."

_What should we do then?_

"Well, I think I could stash it in the garage for the night, but we're _definitely_ taking him to Tom and Carl's tomorrow."

_Alright.

* * *

_

It took Kit a good hour to haul the beast home, even with Electra and Ponch helping. He was too exhausted just holding the air-bonds on it to do any sort of cover-spell, so they had to take back streets and trust to luck and the falling darkness that no one would look to closely.

They made a strange enough sight - a kid and two dogs dragging the corners of an old, worn sleeping bag on which rested a huge lump under a crazy purple-green-and-orange striped blanket. The tufted tail and huge paws sticking out from under the blanket only added to the oddness, but they made it home without incident, although Kit could tell some of the neighbors thought 'the crazy spanish boy' had obviously gone off the deep end.

They hauled the gryphon into the garage, where Kit finally shut the door and released the air from its solidity. "Alright, you guys head upstairs," he told Ponch and Electra, holding open the door connecting the garage and the rest of the house. "I'll be up as soon as I talk to Nita and get a more effective sleep spell."

The two headed upstairs, leaving Kit alone with the sleeping monster. _Neets!_ Kit called through their link._ I really need your help._

_Kit? _she answered immediately. _How're things back home?_

_Oh fine. I have a werewolf in my room and a gryphon in my garage._

_A what!_

_Take a look,_ he said, sending her a mental picture of the sleeping creature.

_Great Powers…_

_Yeah. It took all I had to catch it. It was loose in the park this afternoon. I really, really need a sleep spell that'll last til tomorrow. I'm gonna take it to Tom and Carl's, but I'm dead tired and was never very good with live things. _he sounded rueful. _That was always your specialty._

_Here._ Nita said, sending him a long string of words in the Speech. _This should work._

_Awesome. Thanks a bunch Neets._ he yawned.

_Listen, Kit, Ronan and I have been doing a pile of research, and there's a lot I need to tell you about what's going on._

_Ok. Can it be tomorrow? I'm really sorry, but I don't honestly think I can stay awake much longer, and even if I could, I probably wouldn't be able to remember anything you tell me now. And this sounds too important for that._

_Ok. That'll give us some more time to double-check some of our theories, but we do have to talk about this soon._

_You got it._ Kit said, yawning again as he finished setting up the sleep spell for the gryphon.

_Alright then. Miss you. 'Bye._

_'Bye._ Kit said, and felt the connection slip away. He exited the garage, assured of the gryphon's incapacitated state, and stumbled up the stairs to his room. Faintly aware of Ponch lying across the foot of his bed and Electra curled on the rug, he collapsed on the bed, asleep before he landed.

* * *

Kit woke up in the middle of the night, freezing. He opened his eyes groggily to see Ponch wrapped up in covers at the foot of the bed. The dog must have rolled himself up in all the blankets while he was sleeping. Kit sighed and reached across to unroll Ponch and reclaim his blankets, but the dog was immovable in his tangle of bedding. Kit cursed quietly but was in no mood to wake the dog up and forcibly remove Ponch from his blankets. He sighed, his mind went to the stack of extra blankets his mother kept in the linen closet - all the way down the hall.

"Stupid Carmela," he muttered aloud. "If she didn't insist on having the air conditioning up so damn high that we all turn into iceblocks, I wouldn't _have _to get up in the middle of the night to get _blankets_ in the middle of _summer_ when my _dog_ steals mine." Resigning himself to the need to get up, Kit hauled himself out of bed and stumbled out the door and down the hall.

Returning several minutes later, Kit nearly dropped the blankets in shock. There was a girl sleeping curled up on his floor. She had long black hair with silver streaks running through it and was wearing a tight black t-shirt and black leggings. Kit shook his head, then walked around her carefully and set the pile of blankets he'd retrieved from the closet on his bed. He sat cross-legged on the bed, wrapping one of the blankets around himself, suddenly self-conscious in his Spongebob™ boxer shorts. _How had anyone gotten into his room?_

Almost in answer to his mental question, the girl's eyes flicked open, her silver irises reflecting the moonlight that shone through Kit's window. She stretched an arm out in front of her, and then turned to meet Kit's gaze. "Sorry." she apologized. "Didn't think I'd change in my sleep."

A faint light turned on in the back ofKit's sleep-fogged mind. "Electra?"

"No, the other werewolf you rescued." She quipped, sitting up. "Duh, it's me. How else would you go to sleep with a wolf on your floor and wake up with a girl there?"

"Still cheerful as ever," Kit commented. "I'd have thought being human would loosen you up a little."

Electra's face softened. "Sorry. I don't have such great people skills. Werewolves are kind of… loners. I don't make friends easily. In fact, I don't think I can remember the last time I had a friend." She got up and went to sit on the bed beside him. "I really do appreciate all you've done for me - letting me stay here and feeding me and stuff. I really have been a pain, haven't I?"

"Oh, not too much." Kit said, smiling a little.

"Then - you don't mind me sticking around a little longer? I - I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Well - _I_ don't mind, but I'll have to talk to my parents about it. And you certainly can't stay in my room."

"Oh right! Sorry!"

"Oh stop apologizing."

"Can I have a blanket?" She asked plaintively. Kit stood up, noticing that she was shivering.

"Help yourself." He motioned at the pile. "Look, why don't you sleep here for tonight," he yawned. "I'll go sleep on the sofa downstairs. We can figure this all out in the morning, but I'm still tired from the whole gryphon thing last night, and I really need a couple more hours of sleep."

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the sofa…"

"And let my parents find a strange girl in the house first thing in the morning? I don't think so. Stay here. Lock the door. And don't kick Ponch in your sleep. I'll see you in a couple hours."

"Ok."

Kit shuffled out of the room, waiting in the hall until he heard the click that told him Electra had locked the door. With at least that assurance that no one would find her while he slept, Kit made his way downstairs, and, after flicking the air conditioning off, curled up on the sofa with the blanket still wrapped around him. There was so much to do in the morning, but he shoved his clamoring thoughts to the back of his mind and drifted off to sleep.


	14. To Ireland, To Ireland

A/N: Hey everyone! VERY VERY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER! I've had massive writer's block and university applications and assignments and projects, and well it's been so BUSY lately. I know, I know, that's no excuse, but hey, what can I say?

Thanks so much to all who reviewed: m14mouse, mamoru21, kuyaga, Kat Solo, sf, and Annie Mara Gwynedd! I appreciate the feedback! Let me know if I should keep writing!

Friendly advisor: You are most correct. Fun tip of the day: The entomology of term 'warlock' is generally assumed to have one of two origins: a Scottish word, "vardlokkur", meaning "oathbreaker" or "liar", or the old English 'wærloga' which means "one that breaks faith". This is the context of my 'warlocks' - oathbreakers. All worlds will have their own language and anachronisms, but in translating other languages to English, the closest translation to the word they use (in ENGLISH) is 'warlock' or, literally, 'oathbreaker'. Which is why I've written it like that. Nice to see someone who's doing their homework though! Thanks for pointing it out. I hope you keep reading, even if you don't agree with my language useage. :)

Anyways, after that LOOOONG intro… here's the next chapter! (This one will be kinda boring… not much action … it's kind of a transition chapter… the next one will be better! I promise! And I'll try not to take so long til my next post too!)

_**Chapter 13: To Ireland, To Ireland**_

"Nita, you do need to sleep once in a while you know."

"Sleep?" Nita laughed jokingly, and yawned. "What is this 'sleep' you speak of?"

"Nita, seriously." Ronan gave her a grave look. "I'm gonna keel over, and _you're_ still jet-lagged, so you've got to be doing worse than me. We're reading as fast as we can, but we're only human, wizards or not. And you have to sleep."

"I'm fine!" Nita insisted, yawning hugely.

Ronan rolled his eyes and snatched the book out of her hand. "Who the hell are you trying to fool? You can't even read the print anymore. You're holding it too close. Go. To. Bed. Now. We have all of tomorrow and all of this week. Everything doesn't need to be done tonight."

"But who knows how many of those creatures will escape through the hyperlinks into reality while I'm sleeping?"

"You won't be in any shape to deal with them if you _don't_ sleep!" Ronan reasoned.

Nita grumbled, looking for a hole in his logic, and yawned again. Ronan gently led her upstairs and pushed her into her bedroom where, amid her protests, he removed all the books from the room before turning the light off. "I'll be back tomorrow and we can finish then. Maybe you can even ship your partner over here so we can explain things properly. But you need to sleep now, and so do I." He shut the door quietly behind him. She was asleep before it closed, so she didn't see Aunt Annie thank Ronan as she let him out.

* * *

Morning dawned cold and rainy. Gray clouds paled the daylight, casting foggy shadows. Nita blinked, regarding the ceiling sleepily. Something tugged at her mind, but she was still too sleepy to acknowledge it. Nita rolled over and snuggled deeper under the covers, relishing the warmth as the cold rain lashed the window behind her.

A muffled beeping drifted into her consciousness. She tried to ignore it, but finally it got the better of her and she sat up, looking around for the source of the irritating noise. Still feeling muzzy, she pawed around on the floor beside the bed, her searching fingers finally finding… a pillow? She frowned and pulled it up off the floor. It felt overly lumpy. Peering inside the pillowcase she saw a bunched up towel. _What the…?_ Nita pulled out the towel, intending to throw it at the laundry hamper, but felt something hard inside it. She shook it out and her alarm clock fell out, beeping insistently.

"Holy shit!" she exclaimed, looking at the flashing red digital readout: 11:30… 11:30 … 11:30. "I slept in! Oh shoot!" She was awake instantly, and half-fell out of bed in her dive for the closet. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt and stumbled into the bathroom to run a brush through her hair before returning to the bedroom in a quest for socks. "Why can I _never_ find matching socks when I need them!" she asked of no one. "I _swear_ there is a beast somewhere that eats socks! Man, I can't believe I slept in! I gotta call Ronan and talk to Kit and… DAMMIT, WHERE ARE MY SOCKS!" Frustrated, she pulled the sock drawer completely out of the dresser and furiously dumped it on the floor.

"I can't answer that, but you don't have to call me, I'm here already."

"Ronan!" Nita whirled around from her position on the floor in the middle of a pile of socks to see Ronan leaning against her doorframe, arms folded over his chest. She flushed and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "How- how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to hear your theories on the 'sock beast'." He said, a smile quirking at the corner of his mouth.

Nita sighed and managed to dig out a pair of socks that looked at least remotely the same. "I slept in. Didn't wake up in the best frame of mind." She sighed and started to put the rest of the socks back in the drawer.

"I'll take the blame." Ronan said, dropping to his knees to help her with the socks. "I couldn't figure out how to turn your alarm off, although I did manage to set it forward. So I hid it instead. Tried to muffle it."

Nita looked up and glared daggers at him. "How could you? Worlds could be _dying_ while I'm sleeping!"

He put up his hands as if to fend off blows. "I'm sorry, honest. You needed the sleep though. You can't say you didn't appreciate it. You can't do anything if you're tired; you'd be no use to anyone if you can't think straight."

Her posture visibly slumped in acquiescence. "I know. You're right. It still doesn't make me feel any better. I'm one of the few people who actually knows what's happening. It's like - like watching someone being poisoned and saying 'oh, I'll tell them tomorrow after I've had a decent nights' rest'. I feel… responsible. If the rest of the world can't sleep safe, why should I?"

"You're not solely responsible for the fate of the world! You can't take on that kind of burden!" Ronan said sharply, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up about it! It's not like _you_ poisoned anyone! We're trying to _fix_ it. We'll give it everything we've got but we're not omnipotent. We'll do the best we can. You can't expect any more of yourself than that."

She looked up into the grey pools (A/N: I can't find my copy of A Wizard Abroad! If I got Ronan's eye color wrong, someone please tell me! I just took a guess on this one… ) of his eyes and bit her lip. "I know, but this task was given to me. I can't help but feel like I should be giving it my all every moment." She blinked hard then and closed her eyes, turning away. "Besides, the Powers seem to think I can do this. If they're wrong…" her voice went very soft, "…then who else is going to save us?"

Ronan put his arms around her in answer. "Let's hope they're not wrong then."

They drifted a while in the moment before footsteps in the hall jolted them back to reality. By the time Aunt Annie poked her head in the doorway, Ronan was attempting to insert the sock drawer back into the dresser with limited success. Nita was assisting him, mainly by telling him he was going about it all wrong.

"Trouble?" Aunt Annie inquired.

"We can't get the drawer in," Ronan said ruefully.

Aunt Annie bent down and fiddled with some sliding parts of the drawer mechanism. "Try it again now," she instructed. Ronan did and the drawer slid in easily.

"I told you you were doing it wrong," Nita said.

Ronan rolled his eyes. "C'mon, we have work to do, miss-sock-drawer-expert. Time to save the world."

* * *

Three hours later, Nita put down her book and held her head in her hands, groaning. "God, I need some Advil." She smirked at Ronan and dramatically declared, "Advil! Advil! My kingdom for some Advil!"

"Not much of a kingdom." Ronan said, one eyebrow raised, staring at the piles of books on the table between them. "But I'll give you this anyway." He flicked a small white bottle across the table. "You can keep the kingdom." Nita dived for the bottle as though it were a lifeline.

"Oh shoot, I ought to talk to Kit," Nita said suddenly. "I was going to talk to him last night, but he was… busy. We really should have a powwow about this whole thing. He's got some funny stuff going on back home too. The hyperlink has been causing some trouble."

"Alright. Have him over, just tell him to be careful of the overlays. It'll give us a chance to sit down and explain all this. Here, tell him to use these coordinates," Ronan added, listing off a stream of directions in the Speech. "That should land him in a safe spot."

Nita leaned back and closed her eyes.

_Kit?_ she called.

_Neets?_ Kit answered her mindcall almost instantly.

_Yes. How're you?_

_Um. Ok I guess. Things have been kind of… complicated over here, as I guess you can imagine._

_Yeah, I know. We really need to talk about some stuff. That's kind of why I'm talking to you now. Can you come over here? Just for a little bit? We need to show you some stuff, and maybe you can tell us some more about what's been going on back home. Something big is up._

_Sure._ Kit said, _Sure. When do you want me to come?_

_Um, is now a good time?_ Nita sounded apologetic.

_Yeah… yeah sure, I just have one little problem._

_Oh?_

_Tom and Carl aren't home, so I still have a gryphon in the garage… I can't go and leave it there. My dad will find it when he gets home._

_You can put it in my shed. Tell Dairine I said you could. She'll help._

_Alright. It might take us a bit though._

_That's ok. Come when you can. Here, Ronan says these coordinates should get you here in one piece. Crazy overlays. _She sent him the string of coordinates in the Speech. _Oh, and here's our address._

_Ok. Thanks. See you in a bit then._

His mindtouch faded.

"Well?" Ronan asked.

"He has to put a gryphon in my shed, but he should be here soon."

"What?"

"A gryphon. I'm assuming it has something to do with those dark hyperlinks. It looked like some weird mythical animal - he showed me a mental picture."

"I know what a gryphon is. Why is he putting it your shed?" Ronan wanted to know.

"He was going to give it to our seniors but they're not home. Which is rather odd," she frowned. "Anyway I told him he could keep it in my shed so his parents won't find it. I guess he'll explain the rest when he gets here."

"Fair enough."

* * *

Kit broke off contact with Nita, got up off the sofa and headed for the kitchen. He picked up the portable phone and absently punched in Nita's home phone number while compiling ingredients for a sandwich. As it began to ring, he tucked the phone against his ear with his shoulder and called up the stairs. "Electra! Do you want a sandwich?"

"Yes please!" she called back down. "Wait! What kind of sandwich?"

The phone continued to ring in his ear as Kit called back, "I don't know. What kind do you want?"

"Something with meat!" came the answer from upstairs as the phone clicked and Dairine answered it.

"HelloCallahanresidenceDairinespeaking," rattled off a bored voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey Dairine, its Kit."

"Nita's not here," came Dairine's automatic response.

"I know that. I was just talking to her. Its you I want to talk to right now. I have a bit of a problem."

"Oh?"

Kit explained as briefly as possible. "I have a gryphon in my garage under a sleep spell. I need to move it to your shed. Nita said I could keep it there."

"Kit, what's going on?" Dairine asked suspiciously.

"Honestly? I really don't know. Look, don't tell anyone, but Nita's been on active status for a bit now, and I think it has something to do with this gryphon."

"Kit, how could Nita's assignment have anything to do with your gryphon? You're gonna have to give me a better story than that."

"It's not a story! Something big is going on. I don't know everything, but Nita knows a lot more than I do. She talked to me just a couple minutes ago, and I have to go to Ireland to talk to her about some of this stuff. And I can't exactly go internationally travelling and leave this gryphon in my garage."

A sigh from the other end. "I don't know how I let you people talk me into these things. Alright, hang on. I'll be over in a minute, and when you get back from Ireland you are telling me _exactly_ what the hell is going on, got it?"

"I'll tell you as much as I'm able," Kit said and hung up the phone. He was putting the finishing touches on two salami and mustard sandwiches when Electra entered the kitchen. "What was that all about?"

"What was what about?"

"You were arguing with someone named Dairine? And what's this about going to Ireland?" Electra prompted. At his surprised look, she added. "I may be in human form, but I still have wolfish senses. My hearing is very acute."

"It's… complicated." Kit began, handing her a sandwich. "Look, Dairine is my partner's little sister. She's helping me -"

"Us," interjected Electra, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"-helping _us_ take the gryphon over to her place. I would prefer to leave it with Tom and Carl - my area seniors, but they're not home, and I can't just go off and leave it in the garage. Dairine is a very competent wizard and I think she should be able to handle it while I'm gone."

Electra looked at him questioningly.

"Nita and Ronan have figured out some stuff about what's going on with all these mythical creatures appearing out of nowhere. It sounds kind of serious, so they've asked me to come over and talk about it, which is why I have to go." Kit said, munching on his sandwich.

"You mean why _we_ have to go," Electra corrected.

Kit just looked at her, sandwich momentarily forgotten. "Oh no. I can't - you can't - we have to think about this -"

"What's to think about?" Electra asked, pushing a stray lock of black hair behind her ear and taking a massive bite of sandwich.

"Well, you're not a wizard; I don't really see why you need to come. If it's about needing somewhere to stay, I'm sure Dairine could put you up till I get back, but I don't expect to be more than a couple hours, so you don't need to worry about that…"

Electra looked at him intently with her piercing silver eyes. "I don't think that is why you are hesitant to take me," she declared finally. "But I do think I will be of help. I'm coming with you." She said it with such finality that Kit finally agreed, although reluctantly.

"Oh, fine, you can come. But _don't _get in the way."

Electra nodded, and polished off the last of her sandwich. "We'd best get that gryphon moved," she said.

"Yeah," Kit agreed. "Dairine should be here soon." The ringing of the doorbell punctuated his sentence. "That's probably her now," he said.

The screen door slammed. "Kit?" came a voice from the hall. "I'm here!"

"In the kitchen," he called back.

"The door was open, so I just let myself in," the voice continued, getting louder as Dairine continued down the hall toward the kitchen. "Now, where is this gryphon of your - "

Dairine entered the kitchen. "Oh. Hello. Didn't know you had company." Kit shrugged at her apologetically. Dairine narrowed her eyes at him. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Dairine, this is Electra. She's been helping me with… some things."

"Like this alleged gryphon?" Dairine inquired pointedly

"Yeah."

Dairine turned to Electra. "Nice to meet you."

Electra flicked back her hair with one hand, purposely ignoring the slightly frosty edge in Dairine's voice. "Nice to meet you too. Shall we get to work?"

* * *

Working together, Dairine, Kit, and Electra managed to transport the sleeping gryphon from Kit's garage to the Callahan's back shed relatively easily. Dairine managed a 'look away' wizardry while Kit and Electra wrestled the beast the several blocks to Nita's place.

"Thanks a ton, Dairine." Kit said when they finished. "If anything happens, send my manual a message, alright? Oh, and here's the sleep spell Nita gave me, just in case it wakes up or something." He recited a string of words in the Speech, which Spot duly recorded.

"Is that all?" Dairine asked.

"Yeah I think so. We shouldn't be long - a couple hours or so."

"We?" Dairine raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Kit sighed. "Electra's coming with me."

"Alright. It's none of my business. I just hope you know what you're doing." Dairine's words definitely held a double meaning.

"We'll be ok. If we're gonna be away longer, I'll send you a message or something ok?"

"Alright. Say hi to Nita for me."

"I will."

The three stood in the Callahan's front yard as Kit pulled out a half-finished wizardry and added a couple of limitations and the coordinates Nita had given him. He also added Electra's name, and checked his own before grabbing the wolfgirl's hands and speaking the final syllables of the spell. There was a soft _woomph_ of displaced air as they disappeared.

Dairine stared at the spot Kit and Electra had just vacated for several minutes before going to check on the gryphon in the shed. "I hope he knows what he's getting himself into," she muttered to herself. She knew how Nita felt about Kit. Even if neither of them was willing to admit anything, she definitely liked him as more than just a friend, and Dairine didn't like to think that Kit was two-timing Nita with this new girl, this Electra. Not that you could two-time someone you weren't officially dating, but, still, it was the principle of the thing.

She frowned, mentally replaying the last couple of hours. Kit hadn't _seemed_ particularly _attached_ to her, but then why bring her along to Ireland? And how would Nita react? Finally she shook her head, as if to rid herself of the thoughts. Nita and Kit would have to deal with it themselves. For all she knew, Nita knew all about Electra and she was just another part of Nita's weird new assignment. Either way, Dairine decided that for now, the watch-and-wait approach would be best. She would gryphon-sit - which brought up a whole new line of thought - and watch events unfold.


	15. Cry of the Banshee

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah; you know the drill… also, for clarity's sake, anything in italics is mindspeech, and the page breaks are there b/c won't let me keep my original spacing/asterisks/etc...

A/N: To all my wonderful reviewers:

Xylric: Entomology is fun :). And yes, each chapter shifts the story a bit - nothing too drastic tho.

Anne McCrea: I love Ireland. I've always wanted to visit there, but for now, the cheapest way to do that is through my books. ;) As soon as I started writing this fic I knew Kit and Nita were going back to Ireland lol. (By the way, if you like books set in Ireland, check out 'Hunters Moon' and its sequels by O.R. Melling)

Kat Solo: Unfortunately I don't think I write Dairine well, so she will remain a minor character, but I like throwing her in here and there.

crazyperson: Thanks! I will!

Guess: This chapter does a fair amount of that….

Rosepetals: Hey! What do you know - those are all among my favorite reading materials. Mercedes Lackey is my favorite author, I do read Inuyasha manga (yes I am a closet animae fan), and Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness, Wild Magic, and Protector of the Small books are sitting on my shelves. But in answer to your question, for the most part, no they weren't my references for my critters. Although I will admit that the hanyou reference was an Inuyasha thing… I'd just finished reading six manga books and decided to work it into the chapter somehow. Caught me there. :) As for where I get my critters from, I love studying mythology - it's a hobby of mine - Celtic, Greek, Roman, Norse - I find it all fascinating. And there's lots of crazy mythological animals to choose from. Glad you like the story and keep reading!

To all my other reviewers and would-be reviewers: Enjoy the chapter and click the little purple button….

A/N: Sorry for the lack of action in this chapter and the length... there's more interpersonal tensions than anything else, andI couldn't find a good place to stop it, so even tho its one chapter its as long as two. Alsoto the random personout there who WILL take this chapterwrong there's always one...;) I will say this now: this WILL be N/K, so nobody get mad at me please? Wolf chapter next update, ok everyone?

- KS

_**Chapter 14: Cry of the Banshee**_

The transport wizardry landed Kit and Electra on the coast just outside Cortown. The rain lashed down and the wind whipped around them, sending Electra's hair into a frenzied black whirlwind with silver streaks slashing through it. The wolfgirl made no attempt to tame her wild locks, and instead squeezed Kit's hand and yelled over the storm, "Nice arrival!" Kit growled something unintelligible and started walking towards the town. Electra followed after a longing glance at the distant cliffs where the ocean roared.

* * *

A knock at the door surprised Nita and she dropped the book she was reading and nearly fell over backward. She had been sitting with her chair tipped back, balancing with one foot on the table, and was just able to save herself by diving forward and grasping the edge of the table. Ronan smirked at her across the table, put his book down after carefully marking his place, and got up to answer the door.

Thunder crashed outside, louder as the door was opened, and a jagged streak of lightning split the sky as two bedraggled figures struggled out of the storm and into the front hallway. Ronan shut the door just as Aunt Annie walked past on her way upstairs.

"Oh my goodness gracious!" she exclaimed.

Nita flew into the hall just then, having just finished disentangling herself from her chair. She threw herself at one of the figures shrieking, "Kit!" and sent a withering glance at Ronan, who was still smirking.

Kit instinctively caught Nita, hugging her tightly before remembering he was completely soaked. He let go of her awkwardly and looked at Aunt Annie apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Callahan. The coordinates we got landed us out near the coast - probably because of the overlays - " Ronan nodded at this. "- and we hadn't counted on the storm." He looked about him helplessly as the watery mess spread across the tiled floor of the hall. "We'll help clean up," he began.

"You'll do no such thing!" Aunt Annie declared, taking charge of the situation. "Guests cleaning up? I won't hear of it!" She turned to Nita, "Dear, see if you have any clothes you can lend Kit's friend," she gestured at Electra. "Ronan, you brought an extra change of clothes didn't you? See if Kit will fit them. He can wear them until I can put his things through the dryer, and then, before anything else, we are all having dinner."

"Sounds good, Aunt Annie." Nita answered for them all. After a quick look at Kit, she ushered Electra upstairs.

* * *

Nita pointed Electra in the direction of the closet, put several towels from the bathroom on the bed, and left her alone to dry off and change. She wandered back downstairs where Ronan was sprawled on the couch with a book. Kit was nowhere in sight. Nita decided he was probably changing in the bathroom, and entered the kitchen to ask her aunt if she needed any help with dinner.

Aunt Annie bustled about in the kitchen, telling Nita that dinner was pretty much done. Nita offered to set the table anyway and went about pulling out various dishes and setting them on the table. When she finished, Aunt Annie took the roast from oven and sent Nita to retrieve the others for dinner.

She found Ronan still on the sofa with his book. Kit, his hair still damp and plastered to his face, was poking about at the books on the table, careful not to knock out any bookmarkers. Electra stalked about the house, looking for all the world like a dog in a strange place. The wolfgirl stuck close to Kit, making occasional short forays around, checking what rooms were behind doors and down halls, but always coming back to hover near him. _Loyal as a dog,_ Nita thought. She felt a twinge of jealousy, but hurriedly pushed it away. This was absolutely no time for such trivial things. "Dinner's ready!" she called instead.

* * *

After dinner Nita's aunt went upstairs to make some phone calls, while Nita, Kit, Ronan, and Electra settled themselves in the living room with a couple platefuls of cookies and stacks of books, papers, and diagrams.

"Ok Neets, what's up? I know your aunt's cooking is great, but I didn't come all this way for the food. Besides if I don't come back with something good, your sister's gonna kill me."

Nita laughed. "Dairine hassled you about the gryphon in the shed, huh? Figures. Alright people, lets get down to business."

Together, she and Ronan laid out what they had found out. They worked with such ease together - coordinating their explanations of maps and journal entries seamlessly, their signals to each other barely visible; a touch here, a glance there, Nita flicking her hair - that Kit couldn't help feel a knot of jealousy tighten in his chest. Trying to ignore the feeling, he forced his mind to concentrate on what they were saying rather than what he was feeling.

"So, let me get this straight. You've discovered an alternate hyperlink system, which is somehow reprogramming our world kernel so that it temporarily - in certain areas - can't tell the difference between reality and the creativity it feeds off?" Kit asked to clarify.

"Yes."

"And this… dark force has consumed a bunch of systems and planets already."

"Yes."

"And it's what's making the mythical animals appear; they're coming from the mythology part of creativity."

"Yes."

"Why only mythical creatures then? Why not science fiction? Or medieval worlds? Why aren't fantasy sorcerers running amok, or demon wolves, or crazy future computer hybrid things?"

"We're not sure," Ronan replied. "but we think it may be because mythology is one of the oldest and most deeply ingrained of alternate realities. Every culture has a mythological history of its own - ok, well, most countries. And those that don't have their own have borrowed from existing mythology.

Here in Ireland, we have our leprechauns and selkies and Sidhe, and the English and Germans have their dwarves and elves and gnomes. The Arabs envisioned the great phoenix, which flew once every 500 years - or 5000 depending on your source - to a temple in Helios, Egypt, where it set itself aflame to rise anew from its own ashes. The ancient Greeks invented fantastical creatures that we continue to reuse: the Minotaur, the centaur, the gryphon, the harpy, the basilisk, the chimaera. The Romans borrowed their pantheon from the Greeks, changing the names and incorporating other creatures from the mythologies of the various lands they conquered. Myths of dragons are worldwide.

Even today, people use these myths as symbols; in art, literature, architecture, even things like business names and promotional advertising! It makes sense that since everyone is at least familiar with some form of mythology, even if they don't believe in it, or understand much of it, everyone can recognize some type of mythology. The prevalence of this ancient force of creativity is so strong that it is the second most powerful type of reality, therefore when this dark force - whatever it is - attempts to mess with the kernel, it automatically reverts to the next most solid form of reality. Mythology.

Furthermore, each type of creature that appears will be specific to its area. If you're in Arabia, you're likely to get a genie, or a roc, or a phoenix. If you're in Greece, expect centaurs, or furies, or gorgons. In North America, though, you have such a - what do you Americans call it? - melting pot? - of different cultures and peoples that you are likely to get anything."

"Interesting." Kit mused. "So what do we know about this dark force?"

Nita cast a sideways glance at Ronan, who smoothly moved sideways slightly to let her take the spotlight. She put her manual on the table, open to a double page spread that formed what looked like a picture of outer space. "Alright. This is our Galaxy Cluster." She pointed out five bright galaxies that were moderately close together. "It includes the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, Andromeda, and the Triangulum Galaxy. The darkness seems to have originated in the Triangulum Galaxy, and its presence is strongest there. This makes sense - we've been hearing that some wizards in other galaxies have been having a lot of trouble with entropy lately. I don't think anyone's had reason to believe it was connected though. At least, not until now." She took a deep breath. "Okay, this is really hard to show on here 'cuz its really small…oh cripe, this won't work." She shut the manual. "Ronan, can you help me? I'm gonna try the screen spell, but I've never done it inside before."

Ronan obligingly slid closer to her and held out his hand. Nita gripped it, and Kit could sense them passing information mentally back and forth. He recognized the spell as the same one she'd been doing when he interrupted her to talk about the phoenix in the backyard. A little guiltily, Kit stretched out mentally, until he was in the fringes of Nita's mind - close enough to see what was happening, barely, but far enough that she didn't notice him. He watched as Ronan knit a barrier around Nita's spell, ensuring that any magic that leaked or reacted unpredictably would be contained. Nita, meanwhile, continued to weave her spell, complex technical terms and organic names sliding into place in the spell matrix.

Kit clenched his jaw, and made himself back out of her mind and try to reason logically with the building force inside himself. Nita had been working with Ronan, and he would be more help here than Kit. The fact that his partner was working with someone else was not a cause to be jealous. The important thing was to get the job done. Millions of lives depended on it. He shouldn't care that she could work as well with Ronan as she could with him - even to the point of a kind of telepathy, which he had thought unique to them. It was necessary that Nita be able to communicate well with Ronan. They were assigned to this together. It would only be a temporary partnership. It was nothing to worry about. Kit couldn't make himself believe a word of it, and settled instead for gripping the arm of the sofa so hard that his knuckles went white. Electra seemed to sense this and put a hand on his arm.

Finally Nita opened her eyes and a gray screen was projected before them. She continued to hold one of Ronan's hands while pointing with the other. "The darkness seems to originate from the planet Vernalla - second planet of the Raff system in the Wolf's Arm of the Triangulum Galaxy." The map zoomed in on each point as she spoke. "From there," she continued, "it spread through the various parts of the Galaxy until it managed to hit a hyperlink that allowed it to travel intergalactically. It was then that it began to infiltrate the Andromeda galaxy. It has not yet spread to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, but it's beginning to make its presence known in our own galaxy. Somehow, these dark alternate reality threads are able to reprogram the world kernels so that _they_ become real in our world. They can then enforce their reality on us, absorbing the energy of the kernels and continuing on their destructive path."

"So what do we do?" Kit asked.

"That is what we're unsure about. Vernalla is one of the only worlds that had active wizards on it when it disappeared into the Void." she pointed to the gaping blackness between Bleddyn and Felan, the first and third planets of the Raff system. "Most of the other planets were either inhabited by nonsentient creatures, or civilizations where wizards were either not needed or at least not needed enough for them to live there permanently. Only a few have resident wizards, but they were away when the planet was attacked. However, this dark force now seems to feel it is strong enough to challenge a planetful of wizards. It appears to be able to think and plan, since most of its attacks are not random, and this move is so out of character from its other attacks that I wonder if there is some deeper purpose behind it." Ronan said darkly.

"Perhaps I might be of some help," Electra said suddenly.

"You? How?" Ronan asked, doubtfully.

"Well, this dark force came from my world. Maybe it would take one of our people to help drive it away."

"Your world?"

Electra sighed and closed her eyes. Seconds later a black wolf lay on the sofa in her place. My ancestors inhabited the world of Vernalla.

"Of course!" Nita smacked her head with her palm. "You're a werewolf! Can you tell us anything about what happened?"

_Not much,_ the wolf admitted. _Much of it was garbled in our escape and only legends and tales survive. My parents would occasionally told me about it when I was a pup, but I never paid much attention. You know how pups are. Now I wish I had been more attentive. I will tell you what little I do know though. Perhaps it will help._

_There is a great legend among our people of the last days of our planet. It is said that we were appointed Guardians over some great artifact - I do not know what it was, only that it was dangerous and powerful and horrible things would come to pass if it fell into the wrong hands. I know that we had been appointed as such before, but that something terrible had happened, which had led to the thing we feared occurring. However we managed to triumph in the end, and in the aftermath, a Guardian was again chosen._

_She was my ancestor, Sirena. Three great wizards erected Gates somewhere on our planet that kept the artifact secure. Their names were Sirena, Airon, and Tala. Tala died during the upheaval, but Sirena and Airon survived to Guard the artifact. However, one wolf wizard became greedy for power. He broke his oath and gathered many followers to him. There was a great war, and many perished. It is said that Sirena's daughter, Avrina, is the one who saved the remnant of our peoples. They say she opened a great door to another world, but that it killed her in the process._

"What happened to the artifact?" Nita asked.

_It was lost in the war, I think. But not before the warlock forces managed to secure some of its dark powers. They used it to turn themselves into Shadows - the Shadows my people fear above anything. As Shadows, they may come and go as they please. They do not possess tangible bodies anymore, although if they wish, they can displace us, for a time, from our own bodies. This allows them all the benefits of intangibility - such as being able to travel directly through hyperlinks - as well as the option to become solid if they so desire. They are cruel and vicious, and will never stop hunting us. They are bent on our extermination._

"Do you know how they were defeated?" Ronan asked.

_They were not. They were only contained for a time. Each time they conquer another world, they absorb its energies and become more powerful._

"Do you think your ancestors had an idea how they might be stopped?" the Irish wizard persisted.

_It is said that the great wizard Avrina might have stopped them._

"Why didn't she?" Nita asked.

_She was killed in the middle of rescuing our people. The planet was being consumed and if they were not transported immediately, they would all have died. She was killed in the middle of the spell, so the legends say, and that is why we did not all end up in the same place, but are scattered throughout the galaxy._

"How was she to create a transport spell that would reach all the way to Earth without using a Gate?" Kit wanted to know. "And even if she could, she must have been immensely powerful to use it! The amount of raw power it would take to keep people safe when you're killed in the middle of that kind of wizardry would be… incalculable! By rights, you should all have died."

_How do you think she became a legend? _Electra pointed out. _I do not know how much is truth and how much is fiction. I do not know what exactly happened. I have told you what I can._

"Fascinating." Nita declared. "I think we ought to try and find out what kind of artifact was being guarded. If we had an idea what kind of event these Guardians were trying to prevent, we might have a better idea of how this all happened."

"I think we should also look into the wizards of Vernalla." Kit said. "See if we can find anything on their history or government system or any records of a wizard powerful enough to do a transport spell like that. That would take more than triple the power Dairine had when she first became a wizard."

"Agreed." Ronan said. "Books anyone?"

* * *

"Where _did_ you get all these books, Ronan?" Kit asked a couple hours later. "They're Aunt Tessa's," he said absently. "She and her mother and her grandmother have been collecting this wizard's library for ages. Good thing too, since she now has a copy of about every important wizardly book ever written. Or so it seems. I just borrowed the stuff I thought would be helpful. She's got bunches more at her place."

"Hey look at this," Nita called from across the table. "I've got a mention here of a Senior Galactic Advisory meeting which was called about a hundred years ago. Is this relevant? There's some talk about finding a Guardian for a … book?"

"Huh. Let me see, Neets?" Kit asked. Nita obligingly slid the old journal across to him. Although the pages were severely weathered and yellowed, some of the writing was still readable. Kit read out loud, "It says, '..unsure about the council's' … I think it's 'decision'… 'We have only just recovered. Things could have been much worse. We should be grateful. Its not that I doubt their strength or commitment, but' … ok this part is completely faded…'danger to us all if the Book is not kept safe. Some knowledge is just not meant for mortal minds.' "Kit scanned ahead a couple pages, then reported. "The rest is just complaints about different councillors and their arguments…why they shouldn't be on the council, and why they're incompetent… this guy is a real whiner. Oh wait, it mentions a Councillor Sirena of Vernalla! Darn. Only to complain that her eyes keep changing color when she's mad. What a stupid thing to record." Kit passed the book back to Nita.

_Well, I think it might be safe to assume this thing they were Guarding was a book then._ Electra commented._ The question remains though: What kind of book needs that kind of watching? To have a whole planet devoted to taking care of it?_

"It'd have to be a damn special book," Kit mused aloud, absently running his fingers through the wolf's fur.

"When are you going to shift back?" Nita asked the wolf suddenly. "What would my aunt think if she came in and saw a wolf shedding all over her couch?"

"Well, excuuuse me," Electra said sardonically, shifting back to human shape.

"Take a book and help," Nita told the wolf girl with a glare.

Electra sat down on the sofa Kit occupied and opened a book. Nita watched her over the top of the book she was reading, trying not to be obvious. Even though she had been very helpful, Nita couldn't help feeling slightly threatened by Electra, which automatically threw her on the defensive. Not very helpful was the fact that Kit really seemed to like her and get along with her well. Him petting her in wolf-shape had just been too much for Nita, but she wasn't sure her little outburst had helped any. In fact, she wondered if she hadn't made it worse.

Now the wolf girl was sitting sideways on the couch, back propped against one of the sofa arms, long legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles and resting on Kit's knees. Kit briefly cast a withering glare in her direction, but she just smiled back and Kit sighed and returned to what he was reading.

Nita made herself return to the page she was 'reading', but couldn't remember where she had stopped, so she began at the top of the page again. However in the process of rereading the page, she noticed Electra shifting positions again, moving closer to Kit. The wolf couldn't seem to stay in one place longer than a couple of minutes, and each time she moved, Nita quit reading to watch her, losing her place in the book every time. At the end of half an hour, Electra was sitting right beside Kit, looking over his arm as he pointed out something he was reading, and Nita was_ still_ on the same page. Still on the _top_ of the same page, in fact.

Suddenly Electra stood up and shifted to wolf shape. "What is it?" Kit asked her, with a hand on her head. She growled, and began pacing the room, nose in the air. Her hackles were up and her fur stood all on end. "She smells something," Kit informed Nita and Ronan.

"Smells what?" Ronan asked in a bored voice. "Aunt Annie's cooking?"

"No." Kit said. "She says she smells Shadows."

Nita stood up. "Smells them where?"

"She can't pin them down," Kit replied, pointing at the wolf prowling the room.

Electra froze just then, silver eyes flicking around the room. _They're coming._ was all she managed to say before a hideous screech cut her off. A wispy figure materialized before them, floating about a foot and a half off the ground and wailing laments in such a beautiful and horrible tone that it hurt to listen to it.

"What is it?" Kit yelled over the cacophony.

"I _think_ it's a banshee," Nita replied.

"What the hell is that?" Kit asked, plugging his ears only to find it did little good. The piercing song of the banshee resonated within him still and would not be blocked.

_It is a creature from Irish mythology,_ Electra told him. _To hear its cry means that someone will die. It can only cry for people of certain descent though. The banshee's lament is limited to those of the families O'Neill, O'Brien, O'Conner, O'Grady, and Kavanaugh, I believe._

"How _do _you remember all that," Kit grumbled.

"Will it hurt us?" Nita asked.

_No, it merely foretells a death. The banshee spirits are believed to be connected to these families and thus announce a death in the family by singing._

"Singing? You call this singing?" Kit said, incredulous. "Carmela screams with more harmony."

"Be that as it may, the wildness does have a sort of rhythm about it," Nita pointed out. "It sounds like… the earth and sea crying out - the sound of a storm, or an earthquake. The sheer power of it… It's not truly a song, but it is beautiful, in a disquieting sort of way."

The wild woman finished her song, as the clock on the wall began to chime. "Midnight," Ronan's voice broke the silence left in the banshee's wake. "Midnight," he repeated. "The witching hour."

Nita turned to look at him. "Ronan, you're as white as a sheet! What's wrong?"

Ronan drew a long breath. "Nita, you're theory about all of this," he waved his hand to emphasize his words, "you know, the gryphons and the banshees and the dragons, it depends on the kernel thinking these things belong in our reality, right?"

"Yeees…" Nita answered slowly.

"And if the kernel does indeed believe these mythical beings belong in this reality, then they would naturally follow the rules that our mythological belief system imposes on them, would they not?"

"Yes, I think so…" Nita repeated, "but its still all theoretical for now… there's no way I can prove or disprove it at the moment -"

"Nita, someone is going to die."

"What? Who?"

"Me, I expect." Ronan said heavily.

"What on earth makes you think that?" Nita demanded. Ronan looked away but she moved to stand in front of him and grabbed his arm. Very calmly and clearly she said, "Ok, you are going to explain to me what exactly is going on, and you're going to do it right now."

"Nita, my aunt is a Kavanaugh. The banshee is crying for me. There isn't any other explanation. By all that we know so far, the banshee must operate within a prespecified reality - a reality we invented. We know the rules, we just… never expected to have to play by them. Not in this day and age. But the kernels are being recalibrated, and since the kernel knows only what we do, we must assume, until proven otherwise, that the creatures will follow the roles we set out for them. Including this one. Nita, it must obey its nature - it is an announcer of death. Death follows it. Here in Ireland, like nowhere else, we are still close to the Old Magic. It lives and breathes here, rooted deep in centuries of belief and tradition, myth and legend, magic and power."

"No." Nita shook her head. "No it _can't_!" she took him by the shoulders and shook him. "_It can't! _I won't_ let _it!" Tears ran down her face. "You can't be serious. Just because some spirit floats in here and tells you this! We can't… we don't know… nothing is certain…" with each protest her voice lowered.

"It's not a question of 'can't' or 'letting'. It is only what is and what is not. The banshee cannot lie. She technically doesn't exist. Her only function is to announce the death of one of the family and that is the only reason she came. There isn't anything you can do about it."

"But there must be!"

Ronan looked into her eyes and saw the fire there, through her tears. "Nita, let it be. At least we know."

"How can you say that?"

"Because I know better. It'll be alright. We have work to do before then." He hugged her then, and let her cry against him. Looking over her shoulder he glanced at Kit, her partner, through the veil of her hair. Kit was seething, he could tell. Perhaps it was for the best then. His being around was only causing friction between Nita and Kit anyway, and they could hardly work like that. And the world was depending on their work - or Nita's at least. He had been meant to help her, and he had tried his best. He could only hope it was enough. Ronan didn't know how soon before death the banshee came to call - a couple of days, a week perhaps, but he could make the time he had left count at least. Resolved, he blew gently into Nita's hair.

She raised her head, but wouldn't look at him. "We - we should… get back to work." She said, blindly searching around the mess of books and papers for something, anything, to ground her back to reality.

"Nita, it's midnight," Ronan said gently, taking her hands and pulling them away from the piles of papers. "We'll work tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, yes, but what is there isn't tomorrow? What if it changes to some weird reality where tomorrow doesn't exist? Or doesn't exist in this reality? Or what if tomorrow does come, but you're not - Or I'm -" her mind was too jolted to make clear statements. She tried to pull her hands free, but Ronan didn't let go yet.

"Nita, I have to go home now, okay? But I'll be here tomorrow."

"But how can you know?"

" 'Look for me by t'moonlight/ watch for me by t'moonlight/I'll come to thee by t'moonlight, though Hell should bar the way' " he quoted, and then impulsively pulled her to him and kissed her, before releasing her wrists and stepping out of the room. Seconds later, the front door creaked open and then shut, as the thunder crashed outside.

"Bloody bastard," Kit mumbled and buried his face in Electra's fur to hide his angry tears. "Damn bloody bastard." He breathed in the wolf's wild scent, but it only served to ignite his jealousy further. The wolf nosed his shoulder and when he raised his head, licked his face. Kit sank back into the wolf's ruff, using the thick black fur to muffle the myriad curses he muttered at Ronan with every breath.

"What did you say?" Nita asked distractedly.

"Nothing." Kit snapped. "I'd best be leaving too. Dairine says hi." He got up and began storming toward the door. Then he turned back.

"Was there something else you wanted?" Nita asked.

_Yes! You! _Kit's mind screamed. Instead he said only, "Yes, a rain poncho if you've got one. I don't fancy another walk in your wonderful weather here."

"What about Electra?" Nita inquired.

"Electra's fine." Kit put a hand on the black wolf's head. The creature sat silently beside him, staring back at Nita with a smug expression in those inhuman silver eyes. "Her fur's waterproof, and anyway she'll be dry when she changes back."

Nita opened the hall closet and pulled out a yellow mackinaw. "Kit, are you mad at me?" she asked in a small voice.

"No," he said in a frosty voice. "Whyever would you think that? Bye now." He walked out the front door, accompanied by an especially loud thunderclap and some jagged streaks of lightning.

"Be careful!" Nita called after him.

"Nita, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, damn it. Now get inside before you catch a cold." He switched to Spanish and began running off rapid sentences, which Nita only understood one or two words of.

"Kit, you're swearing. You're swearing in Spanish. You only do that when you're really mad."

"Get. In. Side." Kit said through gritted teeth, then with one hand still buried in Electra's fur, he strode off into the storm.

A/N: Ronan's quote comes from "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. Anyone who likes it, check out the song of the same name by Loreena McKennit. Its awesome!


	16. The Etherium Crystal

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

A/N: Well, ok, this chapter didn't really go as planned… maybe next time lolz. I know its shorter than the last one, and not a whole lot of action, but it ended up being more of a transition chapter than a plot-furtheration chapter, so complain to my muse.

Muse: hey!

To reviewers:

Seere: Ah, you are an inquiring mind… keep reading. All will be revealed in time. (gosh I sound mystic).

Rosepetals: Here's the awaited update! Mercedes Lackey is my current favorite author, but I love Tamora Pierce's books. Her lioness series was my introduction to fantasy, and yes I've read the circle books and the circle opens quartet and the trickster's duo. Looking forward to Will of the Empress now.

Anne McCrea: Thanks for the info! I will use it if I can, and tuck it away for future use if it doesn't fit here.

young wizard#11: Thanks! I will!

imakeladrygirl: here you go!

_**Chapter 15: The Etherium Crystal**_

Avrina loped back up the steps to the pedestal where the Globe of Worlds was mounted. She pressed a paw to the Globe's surface and suppressed a shudder as it recognized her wizardry and linked to her. _S-show me the Valley of Algoma-maylea, the Valley of the Wildflowers._

Obligingly, the Globe's sands swirled, presenting Avrina with a picture of a small quiet valley nestled in a pocket of woods at the tip of the continent.

_Is this what we wanted to see?_ Nysarl inquired.

Avrina's ears sagged. _I don't know. I don't see anything that would lead us to the next part of the rhyme. I don't get it… I can 'see the world in a grain of sand', but what does that have to do with 'heaven' and 'wildflowers'? I guessed 'heaven' was referring to the etherium, the 'heavenstones', and the only thing I can think of that links etherium with wildflowers is this valley,_ she gestured at the picture in the whirling sands. _but none of that seems to have any connection with the rest. 'Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and Eternity in an hour'… it doesn't make sense!_

_If it made sense she wouldn't have said it because then everyone else would know what she said too. And there'd be no point in trying to warn you early_. Nysarl reasoned.

I_ know! But I wish she had made it a bit plainer._

_No kidding. You think I enjoy trying to keep you from killing yourself?_ the silver-gray wolf muttered.

_I heard that,_ Avrina reproached him.

Nysarl uttered a noncommittal 'woof', and lay down._ So, what now?_

Avrina took her paw off the Globe, and watched the sands settle. She lay down, head on her paws, and closed her eyes.

_Napping is not the response I was expecting, but I'm not arguing._

Avrina shot him a glare over her shoulder._ I'm thinking._

_Ok,_ he said agreeably. _I'll 'think' too._ He lay down and rested his head on his paws.

Wearily, Avrina sat back up and put her paw on the Globe. _Show me... show me wildflowers._

The sands in the Globe and fields of wildflowers could be seen across its surface. _Oh, it's no use! If only I could just ask it straight off to … oh Powers I'm stupid._

_No you're not,_ Nysarl raised his head to object.

_Oh yes I am. It's a programmed response! Mother used this Globe all the time. Sometimes you can create shortcuts to look at specific places, if say, the place doesn't have a name - possibly because it's an object and it moves from place to place. When that happens, you create a sort of matrix and plug in the object's information so the Globe can find it, no matter where in the world it is._

_What's this got to do with our riddle?_

_We've been wondering why she didn't make it easier, but she did!_ Avrina turned to the Globe. _Show me Heaven in a Wildflower._

The sands roiled against the glass of the Globe's surface. Then words formed. "Passcode required. Restricted information."

_Oh damn it. What's the password?_ The black wolf whispered.

_You're asking me?_ Nysarl cocked his head to the side. _You're mother wouldn't have sent you this far without the password. Or else she would have thought it wasn't too hard to guess._

Avrina's brows furrowed in concentration. Finally she said, _Sirena, Airon, Tala._

_Passcode incorrect._

_Avrina._

_Passcode incorrect._

_It was worth a shot,_ Avrina muttered to Nysarl. _Umm… oh, stupid me!_

_Passcode incorrect._

_Oh, shut up! _Avrina growled at it, then louder, _Caelium!_

_Passcode accepted._ The sands twisted into numerous little eddies and formed a picture that showed a massive etherium crystal - with a perfect wildflower trapped inside it.

_By all that's holy…_ Nysarl got up and came closer so he could see better. _Well I never! Is that it?_

Avrina blinked at the image. _I think so. Now where the hell is it?_

The Globe zoomed out on the etherium crystal to show a vast cavern. _I've never seen that cave before,_ Avrina said. _Hmm. Show me the door of that cavern,_ she told the Globe.

The sands whirled furiously, but no picture appeared. Avrina frowned. _I said, show me the location of the door to that cavern!_

The Globe gave the same response.

_Maybe it can't show you?_ Nysarl suggested.

_The only way that would be possible is if the door didn't exist in this world, but it does because if it didn't, then we wouldn't even be able to see the cavern._ Avrina pointed out. _Show me the cavern door from the inside of the cavern. she told the Globe._

Immediately the cave holding the etherium crystal reappeared, and the image zoomed in on a corner of the cavern, where a sliding door was visible. _Ok, now show me_ that_ door from the outside._ Avrina commanded. The sand only swirled. _Ok, ok. Show me the door from the inside again. _The sands obliged. _Show me any cracks in the door. The picture zeroed in on a tiny slit between the door and the floor. Alright, show me what can be seen on the other side of the door._ Whirling sands again.

_This is worse than useless!_ the black wolf growled, frustrated.

_Wait a minute. Maybe it is showing us what's on the other side of the door. _Nysarl said suddenly.

_What do you mean?_

_What if this Globe is on the other side of the door?_

_But… how?_ Avrina shook her head, and then began muttering something under her breath. Suddenly a green glow lit the room. It seemed to emanate from a bunch of tangled cords around the Globe. _Aha! Got it!_ Avrina's eyes flashed as she began to examine the glowing cords. _Hmm. This is the activating knot. I'm not sure what'll happen when I untie it. Hold on to me, Nysarl._ She said, gripping the glowing cord in her teeth.

_Alright._ Nysarl took her ruff in his fangs gently.

_You're going to need to hold on harder than that,_ she reproached.

_Tell me if I'm hurting you, _he said and clamped his jaws tighter.

_Here goes nothing,_ Avrina said, feeling his fangs sink through her fur and grip skin and muscle beneath. She took a breath and untied the knot. The wizardry unraveled and Avrina yelped in surprise and she and Nysarl were sucked into the Globe.

They landed atop a trapdoor. _Look, here are the edges,_ Avrina scraped the sand away from the outline of the door. She said a string of words in the Speech, and more green lines appeared. _She's locked the door with another wizardry,_ Avrina announced.

_Can you undo it?_ Nysarl asked.

_I think so. _The black wolf fiddled with the knots and finally slid one whole knot to the side. _That should do it. Help me with the door._

Together they managed to pry up the trapdoor. Avrina jumped down inside. _Stay topside in case I need a paw, _she told Nysarl.

_Wait!_ He began, but she had already disappeared inside. He sat down at the top of the trapdoor, swishing his tail and muttering about impulsive females. A few moments later a faint cry wafted up through the trap door. Nysarl leaped down without a second thought, with a cry of _Avrina!_

_I'm alright!_ she answered. _Just tripped a protective wizardry. Should have known she'd put those up,_ the black wolf berated herself._ I got it - hey, what are you doing down here?_

_You sounded like you got hurt,_ Nysarl told her._ I'm a guard, and your mother pretty much made me promise to take care of you. She'd never forgive me if anything happened to you._

_I don't need a bodyguard. I'm a wizard, and I'm a wolf._

_And I'm staying with you, like it or not. I'm not just your bodyguard. I'm your friend. I want to help._ He licked her ear.

_Oh alright. But no being overprotective, all right?_ Avrina replied, snatching the etherium crystal in her jaws and tucking it into her claudication.

_No promises._

Avrina grabbed his ruff in her teeth and mock growled at him. _I'm calling the shots here._

Nysarl's eyes sparked playfully as in one smooth move he crouched and sprang to the side, flipping around in mid-air. Avrina lost her grip and slid sideways, scrabbling for traction on the sandy floor. Nysarl landed half on top of her, a paw casually draped across her throat. _You may call the shots, but if I think you are in danger I will not hesitate to remove you from a situation. And don't think I won't,_ his grey eyes taking on a serious edge.

_All right, all right,_ Avrina grumbled. _You've established male dominance. Yay for you. Now get off me_. But she smiled secretly as he released her, belying her annoyance.

_Ok, so we've found 'the world in a grain of sand' and 'heaven in a wildflower' - or more appropriately, a wildflower in a heavenstone, but same thing. Now, what about the rest of it? "Infinity in the palm of your hand?" "Eternity in an hour?" What's that all about?_

I_ don't know really. Any ideas?_

_Um… not really, no._

_Ok, lets try to think this through._ Avrina leaped lightly onto Nysarl's back, and then up through the trapdoor, her momentum shoving him to the floor.

Ouch, he grumbled, jumping up after her. _How do we get out of here? _he asked, watching the sands of the Globe swirl around them.

_If I could just figure out what - infinity… eternity… how do you hold infinity… what is infinity… what is infinite? Time? Power? Wizardry? Knowledge? _Avrina was talking to herself as she fiddled with a glowing knot of wizardry. _Hold onto me,_ she said absently to Nysarl. He gripped her ruff in his jaws barely in time as the wizardry spat them out of the Globe. _The palm of my - by the Powers!_

_What? _Nysarl gingerly opened and closed his jaws. It felt like all his teeth had been almost been ripped from their moorings. This wizardry certainly was potent stuff.

_In order to "hold infinity in the palm of my hand" I'd have to be human._

_Uh huh. So?_

_So, that means whatever wizardry my mother is referring to, it must be done while I am in human form._

_I've heard wizards channel power better that way, _Nysarl said thoughtfully. _Why is that?_

_It has to do with the curse of our wolf forms and the war over the last Guardianship,_ Avrina said. _I don't know all the details though… my mother - she did not like to talk of it._

_Nikolai was her lover once, wasn't he?_

_I don't know. She would not even let us speak his name after. The Great Warlock caused much damage, and whoever and whatever he was to her, I do not think she ever fully recovered from his treacherous betrayal. They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely… perhaps he was good before he turned, but what would you do with the power to change worlds at your fingertips? Could you be sure you would not fall, just as he did? He was a great wizard once - that is why he was Guardian._

_Are you defending him? _The gray wolf asked incredulously.

_No. What he did was wrong and had unforeseeable consequences, which still affect us and our world today. I only can't help but wonder what turns a man into a monster._

_Maybe it is not for us to know. But what of your mother's riddle? You said you must be human to channel this wizardry?_

_I believe so. And I think I must use the crystal. I am just unsure of how and when._

_We cannot revert to human form until after the TrueDark._

_Yes, but that is also when Raamath will kill my mother and use her blood to enter the Three Gates and steal the book._

_Powers, that's cutting it close._

_Yes, and I still don't know what exactly I am supposed to be doing.

* * *

_

Sirena lay on the dust in her cell, breath coming in short, painful bursts. Fresh wounds marked her face, neck, and flanks and a small pool of blood had collected where the rivulets of blood soaked into the dirt. She did not have the strength to heal herself through her wizardry, even if the dampening spell were not in place. Her only comfort was the thought of her daughter, free, and her heart's-love, both far from where she lay bleeding in the dungeons of oathbreakers. Her life was a reasonable price to pay for them to save the world. She just prayed that they would figure it out in time. _Powers, guide them_.

* * *

_She still will not release the Book to us? _Raamath snarled and paced the length of the cavern. _Does she not value her own life?_

_Sire, they have beaten her until they were afraid she would die and she would say nothing to them,_ the copper wolf reported to his master. _She fought, yes, but she never uttered a word._

_How fares she?_

_Alive, _was the reply. _Barely. She fights like a demon from hell. Sirhan and Rezso are seriously injured and Rafe and Kera had to come in and pull her off them._

_I will talk to her myself._ Raamath strode off in the direction of Sirena's cell, his eyes as stormy as his coat.

He entered the cell, throwing the boulder blocking the entrance to her cavern-jail with a glance, and glaring at the silver and black wolf on the floor. _Stand up, Sirena._

_Traitor. Let me… die in peace._ Sirena's mindspeech faltered with her strength. _There is nothing more… you can do to me._

_You'd be surprised what you can live through, _Raamath growled dangerously. _Get me the Book. I know you can. Your status as Packleader allows you access to the mind of any wolf at any time. Send one of your underlings for the Book. Now._

_I … have not… the strength, nor… the inclination._

_You lie!_ Raamath snarled, using his dark wizardry to seize her limp form and hurl her against the far wall of the cavern.

She sighed once, and slid down the wall into a crumpled heap, her breathing raspy and ragged as it tore through her chest. Blood trickled from her nostrils. Raamoth send another blast of force at her, but she managed to dodge it, using her forelegs to push herself to the left of the blast.

_Give me the Book or you will regret it for the rest of your short but very miserable life. I will never let your soul rest in peace. You will wander the worlds as a Shadow all your days and serve me forever! This I swear by the four moons and the seven circles! You will obey me or I will crush your very_ essence

_Never._ the word came so softly that Raamath in his rage nearly missed it. _Never._ she repeated, louder, stronger.

_So be it._

Sirena managed to open one eye just in time to see the gray plume of Raamath tail disappear through the cavern entrance and the great boulder slam back into place.

* * *

_Is there anyone else who might be able to help us? Anyone at all? _Nysarl asked.

_I don't know. Not many wizards were strong enough to be involved in mother's day to day affairs. Most the Council are only 4th or 5th level. I'm a 5th level myself. Mother said I could make it to 6th or even 7th level someday, but the only 7th levels around here were mother, Raamath, Tala, and Airon. Tala's dead, and Raamath has mother._

_What about Airon?_

_I don't know him all that well, _Avrina said slowly. _But he did used to spend a lot of time with mother. And he and Tala constructed the Gates with mother, so if anyone could help us it would be him. I don't know where to find him though. He's a loner - never took a mate. Mother always said he had all he wanted on his own. The Council think he's weird. At any rate, he lives alone and only comes to the Cave of Guardians when he wants._

_Do you know a place he's been recently? We could track him._

_I'm - not very good at tracking. _Avrina said quietly.

_You can't be good at everything,_ Nysarl said. _You manage the wizardry and I'll track._

_Well, I think he visited mother in the Cave of Guardians a couple days before I was captured. No one goes in there much - just me, mother, Airon, and occasionally a guard or Council member. We should be able to find his scent. It might be stale though._

_Let me worry about that._

Nysarl sorted scents aloud in the First Chamber of the Cave of Guardians. _This one's your mother… here's something. No, wait, that's Fao… Messenger, _he added for Avrina's benefit. _Hmm… Talib and Talya - really old scents there…these musty books don't help. Aha! I don't recognize this one… Actually he smells a lot like you._

_Don't be ridiculous._

_I'm not. I just call it like I smell it._

_Whatever. Did you find it?_

_I don't know. You tell me. Male, about the same age as your mother, smells like sun on the plains -_

_Yeah that sounds like him. He's got a gold coat and gold eyes to match. Looks more like a lion than a wolf._

_What's a lion?_ Nysarl wanted to know.

_It's a creature from a planet called Earth._ At Nysarl's uncomprehending look, Avrina elaborated. _Earth is a planet in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. They have many strange and exotic animals there. One is a cat-type creature called a lion. It's coat is bright gold and the males have great feathery ruffs. Apparently the indigenous inhabitants of the planet are not very strong - they have no teeth or claws and no second form! - so they have labeled these lions as 'dangerous' creatures. Mother says they hunt them for their skin._

_How barbaric! _Nysarl shuddered, his skin twitching at the thought.

_Yes, quite. Can you track Airon's scent? _Avrina steered her companion back to the task at hand.

_I think so. It's fresher than you said it'd be. Like he was here yesterday._

_All the better. Avrina said as they set off, Nysarl with his nose to the ground._


	17. Peak of the Speaking Horse

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's,everythingnot from the booksis mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

A/N: Wow.. this is going fast - I couldn't find a decent spot to cut this chap smaller so its kind of long... oh well. Blame the muse if you must. Thanks to all reviewers! Your support is appreciated! And to the randomperson I _know _will ask, no I do not play on the RPG _Changeling: The Dreaming_. I had actually never heard of it before Ifinishedthis chapter and while I was poking around on some mythical animal sites I found references to The Dreaming. I actually got the concept from a book I've been reading - The Last Guardian of Everness by John C. Wright - where the main character rules a world of dreams -

Muse: Go read it, its really good!

Author: -anyway thats where that came from. Also there's a quote in there somewhere - I'm too lazy to go label it right now, but it's "wild nights are my glory" and its from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Muse: Go read that one too!

Author: Would you shut up so I can finish this A/N so people can read the chapter!

Muse: Sorry.

Author: What else did I have to say now... oh right... // are flashbacks, " " are spoken, italics are mindspeech or thinking - you should be able to tell which by reading it :P. Ok, I think that's everything... if I missed something or you wanna drop me a line just click the lil purple button at the end marked Review:)

This chapter takes up where 14 left off...

_**Chapter 16: Peak of the Speaking Horse**_

At Kit's sharp command, Nita obediently stepped back inside, but she didn't shut the door. Instead, she watched Kit and Electra depart until the rain grew so thick she couldn't see them anymore. In something of a daze, she wandered back into the living room and sat down at the table, staring at the research materials scattered across it. Her eyes grew dry as she stared at the open journal on the table for about twenty minutes, not seeing it at all.

Flashbacks of the last half-hour swam through her mind - the banshee's shrieking; Ronan's face pale and stark, that haunted look in his eyes; Kit's veiled expression; Electra's smugly possessive smirk; Ronan's lips on hers, the desperation and vulnerability in his kiss - all whirled and blurred before her eyes. Her last words to Kit replayed over and over:

/ "Kit, are you mad at me?" Her voice sounded far away and insignificant.

"No." His tone contradicted the words he spoke. She could feel the ice in them, the walls that he was putting up. She struggled to meet his mind with her own, but it was no use. He had blocked her out. "Whyever would you think that." She had only heard that monotone a couple of times and at no time was it a good portent.

"Be careful!" She heard herself call after him again; heard again his snapped reply; "Nita, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, damn it. Now get inside before you catch a cold."

Heard again her own argument, her too-late realization that something was wrong. She'd known the moment his tone changed that something was wrong - this comment had only been an attempt to convey to Kit that she had realized this fact. "Kit, you're swearing. You only do that when you're really mad."

"Get. In. Side." Each word was as brittle as rock candy, snapped sharply. The edges were jagged with barely hidden emotion. /

"Nita? Are you okay?" A voice swam through her reverie to hit her consciousness like a splash of cold water. "Nita?"

"Huh? Oh. Aunt Annie. Hi."

"Nita, what's wrong."

"Nothing." Nita tried to put a light tone on her voice but it came out in a flat monotone.

"Nita, I may be your aunt and an adult and as such not as 'in' as I used to be, but I can tell when something's not right."

Nita was silent.

Aunt Annie sighed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I won't push you." She put a comforting hand on Nita's shoulder.

Nita looked up at her aunt and burst into tears. "I've made such a mess of things. Kit will probably never speak to me again. He probably hates me. He's got Electra now. That's probably why the manual said our partnership was suspended -" she broke off as her voice got too high and cracked.

"Nita - "

But Nita took a breath and rambled on, " - and here I was thinking that we could bypass it. But the Powers are never wrong, are they? They knew. But I still thought I could - thought we were past it, and then Ronan, and the Galaxies and the hyperlinks! It's all here!" she waved her hand hysterically at the stacks of journals, books, and papers about the table.

"Nita - "

"It's all here and I don't know how to use it! I have to save the world." She laughed again, a stiff, forced gurgle. "Five galaxies consumed by darkness and I can't think straight 'cuz my partner walked out the door mad at me." She put her face down on the cool glass of the tabletop and cried.

"Nita, oh, baby, its ok."

"No it's not." A muffled sob hiccuped from the mass of tears and brown hair on the table. "It'll never be ok again."

"Maybe you should talk to him."

"I c-c-can't!"

"Well it's your choice. I can't make it for you, but ask yourself - is he worth it? And when you find the answer to that you'll know what to do."

"What if I already know the answer?"

"Then do what your heart tells you."

"Powers, I'm being pulled in about seven directions at once. How the blasted hell am I supposed to know what my heart is telling me?"

Aunt Annie laughed softly. "You'll know. And not when you're all fired up about it like this."

Nita raised her head from the table. "I don't know what to do."

"Honey, you're young still. No one expects you to be perfect, or even close. It's all right to not know sometimes. Do you want some ice cream?"

Nita laughed in spite of her tears, and hugged her aunt. "Yeah. Yeah I think so."

* * *

A half-hour and three bowls of Heavenly Hash later, Nita was still brooding. "Aunt Annie, I have to go out for a bit," she said when she couldn't stand it any longer.

"Already?"

"Not - not anything like _that_. Just for a walk. I have to get outside." A burning need to be surrounded by living things had awoken in a deep part of her, and the walls of the house - the dead plaster and drywall and paint - were too close, too confining.

"Alright. I'll be right here when you get back. Do you want a raincoat?"

"No, I'll be fine." Nita swiped her shirtsleeve across her reddened eyes and headed purposefully for the door. The storm, in all its fury lashed furious waves of pelting raindrops down on her as the lightning crackled above. She reveled in it, raising her face to the sky to feel the rain on her face.

Happily drenched, she walked the half-mile to the coast and sat down at the cliff's edge to watch the waves crashing onto the land. _Here is chaos, where sky and sea collide, everything and nothing, no thoughts, no cares… it all drifts away. I could stay here forever. Now I know how all those poets in English class felt - how they could write so many sonnets to the sea and the wind and the waves. They all used to sound the same to me, same old boring 'the sea is infinity wrapped in an enigma' or whatever, but now I think I understand. No words could ever hold this, contain this - this power and life. _

Nita lay on her back on the drenched grass, breathing in air tanged with sea-salt and the burnt, scorched taste of a million volts of electricity that ominously flew to earth and lit the sky at intermittent intervals. She could feel the life all around her - in the sea, in the land, in the air - and it felt wonderful. She would love storms as long as she lived.

Her inner thoughts clashed against the background of the storm. _How could I have been so stupid. If I'd never come here, Kit would never have met Electra and they'd never be… whatever they are. _She wasn't quite sure what the relationship was between her partner and the wolfgirl, but it was obvious to her that Electra at least was fond of Kit. _Kit didn't want me to come in the first place. _She brooded over this. _This thing with Ronan must have turned him off further… damn… what was I thinking? And just when I thought - I mean with the beach and everything, before I left… _

Her mind wandered back to the day before she'd arrived in Ireland, to a perfect day on the beach. Hot sun, burning sand beneath her feet, Ponch running happy giddy circles around them, a fiery orange sunset, and the feel of Kit's shoulder under her head.

/ "Diverging paths. I wonder where they'll lead us." She had heard the question in his statement, and answered with a promise of her own; "Well, wherever they go, I know they'll meet at the end."/

_What now? _She asked herself, _did I just ruin everything? _

A fierce, wild singing caught her attention then, and Nita sat up and peered over the cliff's edge. Sleek scaled figures leaped about in the waves below, shimmering and glinting in the moonlight, their wild cries echoing off the cliffs. _Mermaids,_ Nit thought to herself. Then she caught sight of a magnificent horse cantering up the coastline. The animal was black as pitch and tossed his head as he moved with an effortless flowing grace. Nita could hear the echoing 'tlot tlot tlot' of his hoofs on the rocky shore and his ringing cries that carried on the wind to join the singing of the fish-people. _Poor thing shouldn't be out in this storm,_ Nita thought.

The horse didn't seem to be suffering though, or frightened. In fact, it seemed to like the storm, rearing to paw the sky as the lightning struck, daring the bolts to strike at him. If Nita didn't know better, she'd have thought he was laughing at it, playing in it. _I should still get him home,_ she thought. _Someone will be missing him. _Briefly, she wondered why she thought of the horse as a 'him'.

Reaching out with her mind to the animal below, _Wild one, where is your home?_ she asked it formally in the Speech.

_My home is the sea and the sky and the solid ground under my hoofs, two-leg_.

The horse was definitely a 'him'. He had a deep, rich mindspeech, with a feral edge to it, and Nita felt as though she could listen to him forever, drowning in that voice. _Are you not afraid of the storm then?_ She asked.

_Storm? What storm? This blustery pretentious wind?_ He tossed his mane at a grumble of thunder and its accompanying lightning flash.

This was certainly the strangest horse Nita had ever spoken to. Animals didn't usually sound so…smart… or use words like 'pretentious'. Not even Ponch. _Who is your master?_ She asked him, fully expecting him to live with a wizard.

_I have none as you would call it._ He answered her, sulphurous yellow eyes reflecting moonlight.

_What are you?_

_I am all the life of this place, where the sea meets the sky,_ the ocean crashed behind him, emphasizing his words. _I am freedom and breath and fire and ice and wind and rain - nature's powers given form and substance. Wild nights are my glory._

He certainly looked glorious there, mane whipped by the winds and lightning in his eyes. Nita had never had a particular affinity for horses - in fact she was quite frightened of them - but something in this creature touched a deep part of her, the part that intertwined with living things and took strength and power from nature. This wild thing was a kindred spirit, and some untamed part of her knew it and recognized it. She said something softly in the Speech and boldly walked down a stair of solidified air to the rocky coastline below.

_I feel your power, two-leg. You still believe in the Old Magic. It runs in your veins like fire. I have smelt it. You care for the trees and the growing things - and the creatures that live amongst them._

Standing so close to the being - she could no longer think of it as an 'animal'. Nita was only too aware that it was very big, even for a horse, and certainly the largest horse she'd ever seen - bigger even than the team of feather-fetlocked Clydesdales she had seen on her last visit. His massive shoulder must measure at least seventeen hands from the ground, and his head was huge with those unnatural yellow eyes burning where most horses had friendly, docile, brown irises. His long ragged mane hung windswept and tangled from his neck as he leaned down to look Nita in the eye.

_We are two of a kind, you and I. Shall we romp this night?_ His eyes winked with a mischievous twinkle.

_Oh, yes! _Nita breathed. More than anything she wanted to be close to this spirit of pure life - almost as much as she feared it.

_Will you come and ride, then?_

_R-ride? Like, on your back?_

The great horse chuckled, _How else were you intending?_

_Um, alright._ Nita stared at his height apprehensively. Something niggled at the back of her memory - or was it hers? _Just to let you know, I'm not a really good rider._ She tried to 'zoom in' on the nagging thought, which grew stronger as she approached the horse, but stil it eluded her.

The stallion pranced excitedly, stomped a forehoof, and whirled in a tight circle, catching his long tail on the zippered pocket of Nita's shirt. There was a brief moment as she quickly freed him, and then before she could lose her nerve, grabbed a handful of man and leaped onto his back. Something changed then, and her wizardly senses went into full alert, picking up the slight alteration of … something. _Ah, theimpetuousness of foolishmortals!_ The horse's laughter echoed wild and savage off the cliffs as he went faster and faster. _It has been too long! The phooka runs this night! Ride him if you dare!_

The horse's back was as sleek and slippery as an icy slope. Nita instinctively squeezed with her calves and thighs, trying to grip the creature's barrel. She twined her fingers deeply in the thick mane as the phooka careened up the side of one cliff and down another. He seemed to walk on air, and sparks flew when his hooves hit rock. _Ah, you are less experienced a rider than you give yourself credit for; this will not be amusing._

Nita frowned at this… something was… odd… about its statement. If she was less experienced than she'd said, she would surely have fallen off by now, shouldn't she? What kind of creature was this phooka? But she could worry about that later. Right now, the very present fear of falling off this wild animal at a dead gallop was enough to hold all her attention.

The phooka turned to look at her, its yellow eyes glowing. _You are an irritating mortal. _Nita smiled wanly and added another hank of mane to her handhold. _No matter. They all fall sooner or later. _It added with a glint in one eye.

It _was_ trying to make her fall off! _Not today_, Nita said grimly.

_We shall see about that._ The phooka seemed to double its speed without even trying. Trees and coast and towns flew by, blurring into the night. The horse put its head down and ran even faster, leaving the coast far behind. The blurred shapes of fields and houses and animals disintegrated into passing streaks of color, and Nita closed her eyes and lay down on the neck of the horse feeling dizzy and nauseous. She kept her death-grip on the phooka's mane though.

Mountains, rivers, farms, and fences passed beneath the phooka's flying hooves, and Nita began to feel inexplicably sleepy. The rhythm of the pounding hooves was calming, in a strange way, and although the horse occasionally tried to scrape her off on branches or fenceposts, or stopped dead, trying throwing her over his head, she had the odd feeling that it was more from habit than from an actual wish to rid himself of his rider. Still, this couldn't go on. Feeling a little more secure in her position, Nita searched her memory for that thought that had nagged at her before she mounted the phooka.

She couldn't find it, and shook her head frustratedly. Then it came to her; an old voice in her head. A man, of some nobility judging from his speech, from long ago, his words preserved somehow to echo in her mind. "Listen carefully, all who would ride the spirit-horses! Three hairs from the tail of the phooka will bridle any of the beasts!" _This must be the way Irish wizards get their information, _Nita wondered. _But I have a manual… how is this working for me?_

She decided shewould ponder that later. Right now, she needed to stop this wild ride. Carefully, she loosed one hand from the phooka's mane, gripping all the more tightly with her other hand. She reached her free hand to the zipper of her pocket and managed to free several long, black tailhairs. The phooka careened suddenly to the right, and Nita put the hairs between her teeth to grip his mane with both hands again.

As soon as she could, Nita returned to her one-handed grip and managed to make a crude loop out of the tailhairs. _That was the easy part, _she thought. Gripping the slick body with her knees, she slid forward higher up the spirit horse's withers and slipped one arm around its neck. The phooka must have caught onto what she was doing and started tossing its head from side to side, and jumping as many fences as it could find. Nita stabilized herself as best she could and, clinging like a burr, darted her free hand up to the phooka's muzzle and slipped the loop over. Immediately, the thin hairs transformed into a cruel-looking steel bridle. Nita found the reins in her hands and with all the willpower she had left, she commanded the horse _Stop!_ while pulling back on the reins. She knew that much about horsemanship at least.

_As you wish._ It halted instantly.

Still breathing quickly from the adrenaline rush, Nita slipped off its back, still holding to the steel reins. The horse looked much weakened - its sulphurous eyes were dull and sunken, and blood dripped from the cruel steel bit, which was covered with spikes that dug into the horse's tongue and lower jaw. Nita gasped in horror at the metal contraption. _I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I just wanted you to stop running! I'll take it off! _She pulled at the bridle, but it stuck like a second skin. She was crying now, as the horse groaned in pain andsank to its knees in the wet grass at her feet.

_Iron in the bridle… hurts._ the spirit horse spoke in a weak voice, nothing like the vital, playful beast that had taken her this far.

Nita inspected the bridle closer and saw that the rivets in the bridle were indeed iron. _How can I get it off?_ she asked. _I don't even know how I put it on! It was just hairs!_

_The phooka can only be tamed by a bridle made from the hairs of its own tail, _the stallion sighed. More sticky blood dripped from its mouth. _And since the phooka is master of all the spirit horses, his tail-hairs will tame them all. You have caught me. Only you can release me._

_How? Tell me how!_ Nita searched frantically for a strap or a buckle or a snap, and found none.

_I must… swear an oath to you. You have caught me, and now I must grant you what you will ask of me. Then the bridle - the mark of the bond - will disappear. Such is the way of the Fey._ It coughed and more blood came from its mouth. The bridle seemed to tighten. _At least that's how it worked for the last one. Quickly mortal. Even the strength of the phooka is severely diminished by iron. What would you have me swear?_

Nita thought quickly. She needed answers more than anything, and clear ones. She couldn't trust anything this being said - half the time he seemed to speak truthfully, but just as often he would twist his words and if not lie outright, than certainly mislead. _Swear to me that you will always speak the truth to me, and that you will answer all I ask of you._

The phooka groaned. _That is the most difficult thing you could have asked, mortal, for a phooka rarely speaks clearly to anyoneeven whenit wishes to. Speaking truth to you, what little I did, took nearly all my willpower. But the Dreaming will not allow me to break oaths. All right. I will be truthful with you, mortal._ It took a ragged breath. _So do I swear, by the sea below and the sky above, by the earth beneath my hoofs and the fire in my blood; by the Old Magic of the TwoLands, and the Deep Magic of the Dreaming. _

As it intoned the words in the formal manner of Fey oaths, it spokein a strange dialect of the Speech.Nitarecognized it as the Speech and more than that, she could feel… something… a surety that the phooka would keep its oath. _Something? _She berated herself. _I really need to stop going on feelings. But you can't lie in the Speech without dire consequences,_ she reasoned. Her logical side accepted this argument, and she replied, _I accept your oath, - um, what is your name, anyway?_

_You would take my name from me as well? _The black horse said pitifully, its shining jet-black coat turning dull and seal-brown beneath Nita's fingers.

_Well, what can I call you then?_

The phooka sighed. _You have bid me be truthful. I am called 'phooka' by most, and my TrueName by my friends, most of who are too old to remember it, or dead._

_Well 'phooka' seems so … impersonal, but if you don't want me to know your name…_

The bridle tightened further, and the phooka let out a roar of pain. _The Dreaming compels me to answer you truthfully according to my oath. All right little mortal, my name is Kierran tor Aodhmaigh rai Daemon._

_I accept your oath, Kierran to Aodhmaigh rai Daemon, _Nita said quickly before she lost the taste of the strange syllables. The steel bridle vanished from beneath her fingers. A few more words of the Speech repaired the torn skin of the phooka's mouth.

_Thank you,_ it said when she had finished. The change in it was immediate, and its eyes once again burned with yellow fire and the sheen returned to its coat.

_It was my fault. The least I could do was fix it._

The phooka eyes danced with laughter. _Do you think you would be here if I did not intend it? You may be a strange and unpredictable mortal - I admit I would have been more careful had I known you had fey blood - but you are here by my choice and mine alone._

_Why?_

_Because… we need your help._

_Who is we?_ Nita asked suspiciously. _And if you want help, why the crazy ride?_

_'We' is the creatures of the Old Magic, of the Dreaming. The 'crazy ride' as you call it was a test of sorts. Only one of great power will be of any use in this war, and I needed a way to try your powers and awaken any Old Magic in you. So few young people can feel the Old Magic anymore, not to mention the Deep Magic, and if you are to help us, you must do both. If you could not, then I had no use for you. You have, however, passed with flying colors, _the phooka said wryly, champing a bit as if to ensure that the steel bit was truly gone.

_How do you think I can help you?_

_Something is ripping apart the fabric of the worlds and it is interfering with the barriers between the world of the Fey - which is not truly a world; more of a pocket of Otherspace, really; but it is our home nonetheless - and the world of the two-legs._

_You mean, you aren't from the dark hyperlinks?_

The creature quirked its head at her.

Nita sent it a mindpicture of the dark lines intersecting the world from other places and spawning rents in the earth that issued forth mythical creatures.

_The black ley lines, yes, I see. No, I am not one of those hollow things. They have no breath of real life in them. Feh._

_Then where did you come from? And what are these? _she gestured at the mind pictures.

_You are a mage, are you not?_ The phooka questioned.

_I'm a wizard, if that's what you mean. What's it got to do with this?_ Nita answered warily.

_Nothing… and everything… You just smell of mage… it trailed off. But I will try to answer your question. I am come from the Dreaming. The Dreaming is a connection between your world and mine. Long ago, the TwoLands were one, and the Fae walked both lands, treading your soil and mine. The kelpies lived in the lakes and lochs, the dryads in the rowan and ash and oak, the dullahan roamed free, and the hounds of the Wild Hunt bayed throughout the forest from Samhain to winter solstice. Back then, the Faerie divided themselves and set up the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, where they thought themselves higher and abode taking little notice of humans or even other fey except to use them as pawns in their neverending Games. That was the beginning of the end._

_The TwoLands began to separate, slowly but surely. The Old Magic that had held it together so long was very strong though, and as long as belief held, the Old Magic existed, and the worlds could not truly be apart. It is still possible to enter it here and there - some call it 'going sideways', others find what they call 'gates to the Otherworld'. You have probably heard of some of the more common ones - the ancient isle of Hy Brasil, which appears once every seven years, the Hill of Tara, Avalon, -_

_So, this place, Ireland, exists sort of beside - for lack of a better term - the world of the Fey?_ Nita interrupted to clarify.

_Yes. We are sideways from you._

_What about the dark hyperlinks? Or ley lines? Or whatever you called them?_

_A great Darkness is rending the barrier between the TwoLands. It is attempting to sever them completely, but they have been connected so long that complete separation would be devastating to both - especially to those spirits who live Halfway - that is to say, between both realms, including all the Guardian spirits, such as myself._

_Why is this Darkness trying to separate them?_

_Because the Old Magic which holds the TwoLands together is very powerful. The darkness will seek to either destroy this power or take it for itself. It is trying to fight the Old Magic, but the Magic, and the Dreaming, are fighting back. We are no weak force, but the Darkness is very strong and it is slowly breaking through our ranks. It emanates evil and its warriors show themselves in the form of ravening wolves with vicious speed and cruelty and demonic red eyes._

_I was once the steed of a Faerie knight of the Unseelie Court. He holds my name and with it he called me to battle as his steed. Long we fought together, until one wolf felled him and with his dying breath he commanded me to go sideways to this realm and find help to hold the Lands together. I left on the wings of the Dreaming and the Magic sent me to you. I have brought you here, to Binlaughlin Mountain - the peak of the speaking horse - the place where formal requests between spirit horses and humans are asked and received by both parties, and sealed by the Old Magic and the Dreaming. Will you help us?_

_I think, _Nita said carefully,_ that we are after the same goal. I'm trying to find a way to stop this darkness. It's - what did you call them? Ley lines? - are causing a disruption of reality, and it's trying to change our worldkernel. If that happens, everything, everyone, will die. And it won't stop here. _She sent a mindpicture of the destruction of Vernalla, the black void that had devoured the planet and the spreading plague of darkness that was even now consuming near and distant stars and planets.

_It eats the souls of worlds,_ the phooka breathed. _The ultimate evil._

_I think I should ask you, will you help me fight the Darkness?_ Nita asked.

_We are one in this quest,_ the phooka affirmed. _And we will fight together against this dawning evil_.

Nita felt something again, a resolve within her. The promise she made here to help the dark horse, and his vow to fight with her would hold, even through the ending of the world. Such was the strength of the Old Magic and the Dreaming.

The phooka suddenly raised its head as if it heard something. _I am called. I will return you home, and then I must go and help my brothers. Climb on._

_Oh, no. Not again! One ride was plenty thanks._

The horse laughed at her, his bright eyes shining like suns._ I am bound to you now, mortal. You hold my name. Don't worry, once you have ridden a phooka once, it will be second nature to you forever, no matter how long you live._

Nita looked at the horse apprehensively, and then something inside her pushed her forward and she swung astride the broad black back again. _Powers, I hope I know what I'm doing_. She thought as the phooka reared playfully and launched headlong into a ground-eating gallop.

The storm had petered out to a foggy drizzle, andNita felt as though she were riding through a cloud. The phooka was honest about the ride at least. Sitting on his back seemed almost natural this time and she could enjoy the trip this time, glorying in his speed and smooth movement. No fence could contain him - they jumped a couple of eight- or ten-foot fences just for fun, and Nita laughed as they soared over the flimsy things.

The phooka trotted right down the streets of Cortown, keeping to the shadows, and stopped at her door. Nita slid to the ground and hugged the phooka. _Thanks for the ride. It was amazing_.

The horse snorted in amusement. _You are a funny mortal. I think I like you._ It breathed a hot breath over her face. It turned to leave, and Nita remembered one more thing she wanted to ask.

_Wait!_

_Yes?_

_You said that the Magic and the Dreaming were fighting the darkness… does that mean that the mythical creatures that are appearing here in Ireland are real, and not just a product of the hyperlinks?_

_That is correct. The battle is driving many of the Fey between worlds. We are certainly real though._

_Then, if I were to see a banshee, it would truly be mourning a death?_

_Yes, that is what the bean-sidhe does. It is her calling, her place._

_Is there any way to change it? So the person doesn't die?_

_To change a person's wyrd is to gamble with Fate, a thing not lightly done, and usually having consequences far more severe than the event one seeks to prevent._ The phooka said gravely. _I would not attempt such a thing. It only ends in tragedy._

_So there's nothing I can do._ The resignation hit Nita hard and she felt tears slipping down her face.

_I am sorry, little mortal._ The great black horse lowered his head and let Nita hug his huge face and cry softly into his fur. _Be brave. The world is changing, and all wyrds are not yet written. Perhaps it will be for the best. The Dreaming and the Magic work in mysterious ways. However if you shoulve have need of me, call me by my name._

Nita nodded and released the horse. She tasted salt, and tried to wipe her eyes on her shirt-sleeve, but it was completely soaked.

_Until we meet again,_ the phooka nodded to her.

_Until we meet again._ Nita returned, and watched as the horse galloped off, fading into the shadows. She turned to knock at the door and found Aunt Annie standing in the doorway.

"Nita, I think you ought to come in here and tell me what's going on."

* * *

Half an hour later, after a hot shower, Nita sat at the kitchen table in dry clothes as her aunt finished fixing two mugs of cocoa.

"Okay Nita, what was that all about?" Aunt Annie asked, handing Nita her mug of cocoa. "I know that horse you were riding. The phooka is one of the most feared of Ireland's guardian spirits. No human has ridden him since Brian Boru, ancient High King."

"It's to do with all stuff that's been going on, Aunt Annie - the dragon and the flying horse on your farm, the gryphon back home, these dark hyperlinks I told you about, the ones Ronan and I were researching. Something's come here from another galaxy. It's powerful, and its going to destroy us if we don't find a way to fight it. The phooka asked me to help fight it. He told me a bunch of things I don't completely understand; about pockets of Otherspace, and the TwoLands, and the souls of worlds being eaten, and ley lines - but I think its connected, that we're fighting the same thing."

"If that's true, and the Fey are fighting with us, you're going to need more than wizardry."

"What do you mean? Old Magic? Like what you did to that dragon at the farm?"

"Yes."

"I don't think I need to -"

"Nita, if the darkness is trying to eliminate the Old Magic, there is obviously a reason for it, especially to attack it as fiercely as it would have to in order to worry the Fey. That speaks of desperation, or at the least, fear, and if it fears the Old Magic, there must be a reason. It would be to your benefit to learn it, if you can. My skill is very rough, but I can teach you what I know."

"Aunt Annie, I'm not sure I want -"

"There is also the possibility that this dark force will be able to recalibrate the kernel so that wizardry doesn't work. Did you ever consider that?"

"But would the Old Magic even work then?" Nita countered.

"It might. It's stronger than you think and very unpredictable. It works when it shouldn't and its source is completely uncontrollable. Since the Old Magic is tied through the Deep Magic of the Dreaming to both this world and the Otherside, even if _this _worldkernel is recalibrated, the Old Magic should still work since it is independent of the rules of this world, being only half here and half there."

"All right," Nita surrendered. "I guess it can't hurt. I just hope I never have to use it." She said, remembering her last experience with the Old Magic.

"Excellent. Now the first thing is to…"

Nita could tell she wasn't going to sleep much that night. Then again, the adrenaline from her midnight ride was still coursing through her system and she wasn't feeling a bit sleepy. As her aunt began to reveal the mysteries of the strange ways and workings of the Old Magic, Nita felt a twinge as her thoughts wanderedoff to settle onKit. Kit would have loved to be in on this. Nita had always loved how new things made his eyes light up and how he'd have a million one and one new ways to test the usefulness of whatever new thing they learned. She hoped he wasn't too mad at her and promised herself she'd at least manual message him in the morning.


	18. Interpersonal Complications

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

A/N: Hey to everyone still reading this… all I have to say is… please don't kill me for this chap… I know it's probly not up to par, but I'm working on it, and it'll work out later… trust me… (or don't and just read it for yourself ). Other than that… next chapter is back to wolves (yes I know some people don't like it, but the past storyline is integral to the present storyline, so bear with me). Alright… what else did I have to say now... oh right... / are flashbacks, " " are spoken, italics are mindspeech or thinking - you should be able to tell which is which by reading it :P. Ok, I think that's everything... if I missed something or you wanna drop me a line just click the lil purple button at the end marked Review :), and I'll shut up now so you can read the chapter…

_**Chapter 17: Interpersonal Complications**_

Kit was silent the whole way back to the coast. Electra was quiet too, so as to not intrude on his thoughts, and he appreciated that. She finally seemed to have figured out when to talk and when to shut up. And she didn't seem to mind that he kept one hand permanently buried in her ruff either, which he appreciated. He knew he was being kind of forward, and was painfully aware that anytime she wanted to shift back to human shape he would most likely find himself with his hand in her hair. There was something about touching the wolf that calmed him, however it also made him feel oddly displaced from himself.

Kit replayed the afternoon's events and found he could look at the situation with a strange sort of clarity. He saw again Ronan kissing Nita and was able to analyze it with a cool - even cold - perspective. He saw now that it was an impulsive move - one that Ronan might not have made under other circumstances - but Kit dismissed that as irrelevant. The important thing was that Ronan _had_ done it, and even if he would not have under other circumstances, the fact that he _had _meant that he had at least thought about it, and judging by the effortless way he executed it, he had thought about it a lot.

Furthermore, Nita had not seemed to dislike it. In fact, she seemed to have gotten quite close to the young Irish wizard in the short time she'd been away. On the part of Nita, it was not only the kiss that Kit could analyze but her entire behavior. While he did not know Ronan well, he did know Nita - probably better than he thought he did - and one quick kiss between friends he could have dismissed. Not easily, but dismissed. However, it was obvious to Kit that there was more to the situation than was noticeable at first glance.

Kit and Nita worked together with an intrinsic coherence, something more than acquaintanceship. It had taken Nita and himself at least a year of working together on nearly a daily basis on order to develop the rapport they had, and the telepathic communication they shared, which had been born from that rapport. That Nita could so quickly develop the same rapport with someone else was disconcerting, not to mention how she worked together with Ronan even in a non-wizardly way; always aware of what the other was doing and thinking and saying.

Kit observed all this with a frigid demeanor as he strode, unfeeling, through the cold rain to the lonely spot by the coast where he set up the transport spell. He had to alter a few things in order to bring Electra back in wolf-shape, since he didn't feel like talking to her to ask her to shift back to human. Sharply and succinctly he uttered a long string of syllables in the Speech. Seconds later he was standing in the Callahan's front yard.

"Kit!" A voice called from a second-story window. "Stay put! I'll be right down!"

Kit closed his eyes and sighed. The last thing he wanted was a talk with Dairine, but he was sure she wouldn't take no for an answer, and if he just transported home she'd just call or message his manual. Faster to just talk to her and get it over with.

Electra growled softly and then whined and shoved her snout into his leg. Loosen up a little?

Kit's grip on her ruff was white-knuckled, and at her mind touch he felt a sharp stab of pain. He loosened his grip and felt the pain ebb away. Sorry. The wolf didn't answer but didn't move away either.

Dairine came flying out the door. "You were gone for _hours_!" she said in a tone half-furious and half relived. "So? What's going on?"

"Nita says hi," Kit began dully.

"You look awful." Dairine said, looking at him critically.

"I don't really want to talk right now."

Dairine gave him a knowing look. "I told you so."

"It has nothing to do with -" Kit stopped, trying to control the rising anger in his voice, and also because now that she had mentioned it, he really wasn't certain that the situation _did_ have nothing to do with Electra. "- I'm tired." He finished lamely.

"I should think so. Alright, you're off the hook. _For now._" She emphasized the words. "But I want the _whole_ story later," she looked pointedly at the wolf at his side and added in direct mindspeech, if I have to drag it out of you word for word.

Kit nodded. "Sure. Later."

"Oh, by the way, your whateveryoucalledit disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Kit asked, startled.

"Yep. I went to check on it an hour or so after you brought it in and it was gone."

"It escaped?"

"Nope. More like vanished. Like Obi-wan and Yoda when they 'died', you know? Nothing was scratched or clawed or broken, and there were no traces of wizardry. Everything was still in one piece, but your animal was gone."

"Gryphon," Kit corrected absently. "I wonder how it did that."

_The portal closed_. Electra said.

"The what?" Dairine inquired.

"The portal…" Kit mused. "You mean the dark hyperlink? They can be closed?"

_Those who create them can also seal them._

"But why?"

"Um, hello, lost here…" Dairine interjected.

_I don't know._

"Kit?"

"Later Dairine?" Kit pleaded in a tired voice.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded sourly. "Fine. See you." Spinning on her heel, she strode back toward the house and, once inside, slammed the door audibly.

Kit sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. The only thing worse than having one Callahan sister upset with him was having _both _sisters upset with him. He would definitely have to resolve all this sometime soon, but for now all he wanted was sleep, and perhaps to beat the living crap out of something. Or someone. Preferably someone named Ronan. Instead he muttered the transport spell that landed him and Electra in his room.

* * *

He covered the distance to the bed in three strides and collapsed on it, putting the pillow over his head and groaning. The bed shifted as ninety-odd pounds of wolf jumped up beside Kit. "Go away," Kit's voice was muffled by the pillow.

"I thought you were the one who thought it unwise for me to be wandering about in your house?" she said lightly.

"I don't care, I just want to be alone. Forever."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do - hey!" he sat up suddenly, realizing she had been talking to him verbally rather than in mindspeech.

"What?"

"You shifted back."

"So? Listen, I'm not exactly sure what is going on, and I know I'm probably complicating things, but I'm a wolf and some things bother us. Like neutral ground and grey areas. We like to know where we stand with things."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not sure I'm _saying_ anything."

"Then what -" She put a finger to her lips, hushing him, and then kissed him, swift as thought.

Everything came crashing down inside him then, and a roaring echoed through his mind. She kissed him again, cautiously this time. Kit tried briefly to fight the chaos of the myriad voices clamoring in his head, but when Electra leaned in close, the only thought that filled his head was the fact that she was wearing Nita's clothes - which she had borrowed only hours ago - and, consequently, she smelled like Nita.

Kit's blood burned in his veins and he returned Electra's kisses with matching passion although his mind was as far away as the dark side of the moon. Something - something was wrong… he felt this intrinsically, in the core of his being, but that small voice was quickly being buried by a flood of tangled emotions and the memories called to mind by the smell of Nita's clothes.

Electra was pleasantly surprised when Kit responded to her. He hadn't acted like he liked her. Either he was very good at hiding it, or he was just out for a one-time thing, or… the thought struck her almost as solidly as an object and she pulled back from Kit. He seemed startled, and began trailing cautious butterfly kisses up her neck, searching for her suddenly withdrawn affection like a drowning man.

_I don't know anything for sure,_ Electra told herself, knowing that she was mainly just avoiding the whole thing, but at the moment, she didn't care. She had Kit right now, and that was all that mattered. On that thought, she turned her head to resume kissing Kit. He sighed contentedly against her mouth and she boldly moved til she was sitting in his lap. She nestled in his arms and he breathed into her hair and murmured into her shoulder.

"Nita…" one word, repeated over and over until it was almost a religious chant.

Electra's sharpened hearing picked it up finally, through the intensity and heady - almost drunk - feeling pounding in her brain and through her veins. _Nita… not me. Nita._ The thought hit dully. She sighed and pulled away from Kit. Not understanding, he tried to pull her gently back to him, and seemed hurt and confused when she rigidly refused. "Kit. Kit!" she tried to shake him out of… whatever he was in that had possessed both of them to further this confounded mess like this.

"Kit." The word pierced like blinding rays of light in a darkened room. "Kit!" A jagged lightning bolt through his consciousness. Kit blinked several times, feeling the same muzziness that lingers after being woken suddenly from a deep sleep. He was very startled to find Electra in his arms, a vacant, torn look in her silver eyes.

He was even more startled to find one hand tangled in the midst of exploring some of the extensive decorative tears in the back of her shirt - which incidentally spelled out the word 'player', and the other around her waist. Her left shoulder was bare where the shirt had slipped down.

"I'm sorry, Kit. I - I can't - I won't - be second fiddle. You love Nita, not me. And even my kisses can't change that, no matter how much I might wish it."

"Oh, God… " A stricken look came over Kit then, and his face went very pale. "What have I done?" he whispered.

Kit? Are you there? a mindvoice tentatively broke in on his consciousness.

"Oh please, no! Not now! Please, no! Go away!" he fumbled verbally, not able to think clearly enough to form mindspeech, but desperate to find some way to resurrect his shattered defenses.

"Kit?" Electra asked uncertainly.

As if sensing that something was wrong, the mindprobe went deeper - far deeper, probably - that it intended. Kit's mental walls had all collapsed, so there was no barrier to the probe and what would have normally been a gentle tap, now had nothing to 'tap', and slid on, deeper into his mind. He had known from the first that it was Nita, but there was nothing he could do to keep her out - she didn't know that his normally strong mindwalls lay in ruins. He shut his eyes in a last attempt to keep her out.

It was all so fast - one mindprobe, just a tap - but then he felt his eyes open, and knew he hadn't opened them. It was as though that moment had been freeze-framed, and Kit knew that Nita had just seen through his eyes. For one split second, her mindtap had slid through to the deepest part of his mind to see out through his eyes - to become him - for an instant, a fraction of a second. But it was enough. She had seen him, felt his arms around Electra, felt his blood still afire from her kisses, and he had absolutely no way to explain it.

He felt a furious wave of emotion course through him, and then… nothing. A great silent empty nothing, as though a door had slammed in the middle of a conversation - or someone on the other end of the phone had abruptly hung up - but more intense. That silence was the loudest thing he had ever heard. Nita was gone. Quickly he tried to follow her mindpresence.

She had blocked herself off before, but they had always still been connected, and he could feel her presence through any walls she erected. He had always felt that he could break through her walls if he really wanted to. Not this time. No walls, no obstacles, no trace that she had ever been in his mind…the trail was cold as a January morning. She had broken all ties to him in that moment, and he knew that this was different from a normal block. He couldn't sense Nita at all - their telepathic link was broken, snapped sharply in two.

In his mind he found himself standing in a forlorn corner of his mind holding one end of their telepathic link, the end of which had been hacked and sliced and lay limp and disconnected in his hand. He put his head in his hands and wept for a long time. Electra tried her best to comfort him, but he didn't even notice her. Finally she did the only thing she could think of and returned to wolf shape. He hugged her then, and buried his face in her fur. She whined softly and licked away his salty tears with a rough wolf's tongue.

* * *

Kit woke up several hours later,in the middle of the night, with no idea when he had actually fallen asleep, andwith the distinctfeeling that something was wrong. Unconsciously and instinctively he reached for that place in his mind that was connected to Nita - just to check on her, and was jolted away instantly by the emptiness of his own mind. He shook his head, mentally recoiling from the freezing darkness and the snapped link that occupied that now-lonely part of his mind. He felt more alone than he had since…before he met Nita.

It was dark, and Kit groped blindly for the switch to his bedside lamp. He switched it on and nearly fell out of bed. Electra lay beside him, atop the blankets while he was under them. Her dark hair was spread out behind her and her face, while serene in sleep, showed dark circles under her eyes and reddened tear-streaks and her clothes were mussed. Kit gingerly tried to move, but she stirred, and then blinked at the light.

"Kit? What's going on?" Then she looked down and started. "Oh damn. Just a minute." Seconds later she was a wolf again. _I'm sorry. My shifting is to some extent ruled by my emotions - I didn't mean to…I'll shut up now. And… get off the bed_. The black wolf stood up and jumped lightly to the floor, curling up next to Ponch on the rug.

Kit sighed. "No, its ok. I can't very well let you sleep on the floor with my dog. Heck, the dog usually sleeps on the bed - and hogs half the covers. I think he thinks he's been replaced or something." Kit cast a wistful glance at Ponch, who gave a doggy sigh as if he knew he was being talked about, and rolled over. "Oh, get up here." Kit sat up and rested against the back of the bed. "I suppose we ought to talk about this anyway."

_About what?_ Electra asked warily, springing up onto the bed.

"About us - or maybe about me. It was me, wasn't it? You wouldn't have… if I hadn't, right?"

Electra sighed, _I'd thought about it. More than a few times. But you did surprise me. I thought … for a second - well longer than a second, I guess - but I thought well…never mind. I was wrong._

"Can you - can you shift back for a bit?"

_Why?_

"Cuz I'd like to have this conversation with a person, not a wolf. It sort of throws me off."

_But you like me better as a wolf._

"I - " Kit started, then let out a long breath. "Look, I don't want to argue with you. You're my friend, and … I hurt you. Not intentionally, but I guess intentions don't count for much, do they? Powers, I've made a mess of this." He sounded totally exhausted. "I just want to say… I'm really really sorry."

Electra shifted back, leaving a vulnerable looking girl with startling silver eyes and tear-streaks down her face sitting cross-legged on the bed across from Kit. "I know you didn't mean to. I'll get over it." Her eyes went suddenly vacant, then steely.

Kit saw through the façade in a heartbeat, though, and slid over to take her in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm sosorry," was all he could say as she tried her hardest not to cry, her breath coming in short sharp gasps that made funny noises in the back of her throat. "I never meant for any of this to happen, and now… now Nita will probably never trust me again. And that's worse than just her being mad at me. I could deal with that - I kind of thought she was mad about you staying here anyway, but now…" his words trailed off.

Electra looked up into his expressive brown eyes and saw there the cut link in the empty part of his mind and the tearing rift in his mind and heart. "It's not your fault." She said finally. "It's mine. I knew - I _knew_ she liked you. All through that trip, and I - I pushed her buttons, I admit it. If I hadn't acted the way I did, none of this would have happened. If anyone took advantage of anyone it was me. And I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. It was stupid and now look at the mess we're in." she said wryly.

"I did kind of wonder what got into you over there." Kit gave Electra a pained half-smile. "I suppose I should be mad, but I really don't have the energy." He seemed to wilt visibly before her eyes.

"Listen, I know this probably isn't the time for it, but - you're my friend and seeing you like this isn't making me feel any better. I don't want you to be hurt, but I don't want you thinking anything was your fault, and I'm not even positive it was all mine. She's up to something with that Irish boyfriend of hers."

"Ronan?"

"Yeah."

"He's not - Nita wouldn't - ! They're just friends. It was me that did this -" he gestured in the air between them frustratedly. "- that made this mess. I can't - I won't - believe it was her."

"I hate to break it to you pal, but there is something more than 'work' to their partnership, so don't be blaming yourself for _everything _ok? I may be a wolf, but I'm part human too, and a girl at that. We pick up on these things. It's the same thing that made her get upset 'cuz I was after you. I think as much as she was nervous that I was around you, she was nervous because I knew something was up with her and Ronan and she knew that I knew that. I don't think she wanted you to know about it though, and was afraid that if _we_ were close, I just _might_ tell you. Just something to think about."

"I don't believe you." Kit said flatly, even as one tiny part of his mind argued that it was quite possible that the wolfgirl was right. After all, Nita's closeness with Ronan _was_ comparable to the partnership Kit shared with her - _had _shared with her… he winced visibly as the memory of standing in that cold, dark, lonely place holding the severed half of his link with Nita resurfaced. If the telepathy was anything to go by at least, and then there was that kiss… although Kit had done enough of that himself lately, so he really wasn't anyone to talk. He ruefully pushed away those memories. If Nita and Ronan weren't close, would she have been more hesitant to cut herself off from Kit so entirely?

"I don't need you to." She looked very tired then, and all the stress and adrenaline from the past couple of hours seemed to rush out of her in one sort of shuddering breath. "I just needed you to hear it. To listen." Kit felt her sag against him and then begin breathing slowly and rhythmically. Her human form slipped away and in her place a great black wolf lay on the bed beside him.

Something nagged at his mind then, the same something that had abruptly woken him. Careful not to disturb her, Kit slid one leg out from under the wolf's head and front paws and edged off the bed. Something rapped sharply at the window. Kit almost winced as the noise broke the silence. Electra stirred and her wolf shape melted away, but she didn't wake up. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kit trod barefoot to the window, unlocked it, and opened it.

"About time!" a voice snapped.

"Dairine! What the hell are you doing here?" Kit demanded. "It's like - " He glanced around looking for his clock. It sat on the dresser beside the bed, covered by a manga novel he'd been reading before bed. Kit reached over and grabbed the clock out from under the book to peer at its blinking red numbers. " - three fifty-two in the morning!"

"So? I've seen you in your pajamas before. What's the big deal?"

"I was sleeping!" he protested, although to be completely honest he _hadn't_ been sleeping, not since that weird feeling - which he now suspected was somehow, _some way_ connected to Dairine - had woken him up. He frowned at her suddenly. "There isn't a ledge outside my window. There's just a drop - how are you keeping yourself up?"

"Sitting on air. Literally. But it's expending a nice bit of power, even for me, and I'd really prefer if you'd move so I could just come in," she said sweetly. Then before he could stop her, she stood up on her 'stair' made of solidified air to push him aside and step into the room.

"No - listen, can't we do this someplace else?" Kit moved to stop her, but she was already kneeling on the windowseat just inside, so instead he stood in front of her, trying to block her view of the room.

"I've been in your room before. What is your problem? Honestly. Sometimes I really don't know what Nita sees in you." she said conversationally as she de-solidified the air outside the window.

Kit blanched. At the look on his face, she said, "Oh get over it. Everyone's figured it out but you two. Now, I believe you owe me an expl - " Dairine froze as she caught sight of Electra on Kit's bed.

In the scant seconds before anything could happen, Kit desperately fished a spell from his inventory and finished it with a couple quick syllables, landing himself, Dairine, and a couple hours worth of oxygen squarely on the moon.

"You're _sleeping _with her!" Dairine exploded, when she recovered her equilibrium from the unexpected transport

"No!"

Dairine promptly slapped him. "You - you _creep_!" she spat. "I knew something was going on with that girl! I knew it! I didn't think you'd have the guts to lie to my face though! Does Nita know? It would kill her, and _you_ more than anyone else should _know_ that. I ought to deck you thoroughly right now." She glared at him darkly, and Kit had no doubts that she could and would do exactly what she threatened.

"Wait! Don't I even get a chance to try and explain? It's not what it looks like!"

"Keep talking, 'cuz right now, it looks pretty damned bad. God, Kit. I really wasn't expecting this from you. You were nice. But by all that's holy if you're two-timing my sister, then Powers above, I _will_ make you very _very_ sorry."

"Okay, okay, but it's a long story and I'd have to start back at the beginning. Oh, God what a mess."

"Yeah, about as messy as your face is gonna be if you don't stop _wasting time_ and start _explaining_."

"Alright. It all started a while ago, before Nita left for Ireland -" Kit sketched out roughly the ups and downs of the situation - from his fight and makeup with Nita about the partnership suspension and then about the situation with the hyperlinks. He continued with Nita's leaving and her temporary partnership with Ronan, and his temporary partnership with Electra, then reluctantly outlined the events from their recent jaunt to Ireland.

Dairine listened carefully. Her sharp analytic mind sorted out the information Kit threw out at her.

" - so I _wasn't_ sleeping with her ok? She's been disguised as a wolf and staying at the house. My mom's under the impression I'm dogsitting for a friend. We've been working on research and stuff together, and she helped me catch the gryphon and stuff, only it turns out she liked me, and she … " he gestured wildly, "and it just… "

Dairine raised an eyebrow.

"I did not sleep with her! We just kissed. That's it. I swear!"

Dairine raised the other eyebrow.

Kit repeated it in the Speech, a solemn look on his face. "I can't lie in the Speech, you know that."

Dairine nodded then. "Alright. So you didn't sleep with her. Forgive me if I'm still not entirely happy with this arrangement."

"Look, we'll work it out."

"Oh of course. You've been 'working it out' quite well, as far as I can see. Makeout sessions with other girls… Kit if that's 'working it out', you've been taking lessons in Jealousy Instigators Anonymous. Jeez." Dairine stared up into the star filled sky. "_Why_ do males always have to be damned _void _of anything even _remotely_ resembling common sense? WHY?"

"That's not fair." Kit protested. "Look, I know I screwed up. It's my fault. But I can fix my own romantic problems without interventions from the little sister, ok?" He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. This is all just a huge mess and I don't know what to do. It's making me defensive."

"Well for starters you can get Electra out of your bed." Dairine put in helpfully.

Kit looked ready to fire a retort back, but sagged back against a mooncliff instead and sank down to the ground through about six inches of moondust. "I'm sorry ok? I screwed up everything. It's my fault, and now she's gone. I can't even feel her in my head anymore." He looked up at Dairine. "I never wanted any of this to happen. I'd give anything to erase it all! Don't you see that? I - I can't live without her. The only thing that's keeping me going now is the hope that somehow, someway, she'll forgive me. I talked to Electra already. She knows how I feel and that I can only ever be her friend, but now -- Dairine, I've never been so alone. In all my time as a wizard, there's never been a time when I couldn't talk to her, when I couldn't feel her in the back of my mind, when I didn't know that she'd answer me anytime I called - in my mind or on the phone. Now… it's like a piece of me is missing, a piece that was always there, that I just took for granted before, like my arms or my legs, or my wizardry. It was a part of me - defined me somehow. Now I know how all those World War II soldiers who got amputations felt."

Dairine settled herself down beside him and motioned for him to continue.

"My great uncle got his leg amputated at the knee when he was a kid, you know." Kit continued conversationally. "He was fifteen when it happened. Working on a farm over the summer. They had this machine that cut and baled hay and he was helping the guy who was running it. Got a little to close to the cutters when they were trying to fix one of the blades and sliced his leg. Would have been fine, except that the blades were so old and rusty. The cut got infected and they had to amputate. He always used to complain that his leg hurt, and his 'knee pains' never failed to predict coming storms. I always thought it was just weird, but now I feel like that. I can still the shadow of where she was, I can see her face every time I turn around, hear her in the back of my mind, but when I try to hold onto it, its like a shadow fading away when you turn the light on."

Dairine drew a deep breath, her initial anger dissipated for the most part. He looked so lost, hiding behind his cobbled-together defenses, that she almost felt sorry for him. "Fine then." She looked at him critically. "I got my explanation. And I don't think anything I could do to you would make you feel any worse than you do already. Time to go home? I think we're gonna run out of air soon."

"Yeah. Sure." He mumbled the spell and landed them both back in his front yard.

"See you later," Dairine said, readying her own transport spell.

"Wait. Do you - do think maybe if I explain - if I apologize - I'll do whatever's necessary but, well, you're her sister… you know her best. Do you think she'd ever…?" He left the question hanging as if afraid to say it for fear that if he voiced his fear it would somehow automatically become a reality.

Dairine's expression was shadowed. "I don't know, Kit. You broke her trust, and that's major."

He looked crestfallen.

"That's not to say you can't believe in second chances. The future is yet unwritten, but you're gonna have a long road ahead of you if you hope to fix anything. And besides, you may have bigger things to worry about soon if the rest of what you told me holds true. I think I'm gonna start some of my own research into these 'dark hyperlinks'. I know, I know, its Nita's case. Still. You never know when knowing things will come in handy. G'night Kit," she said, and promptly vanished.

" 'Night," he replied before transporting himself back inside. He didn't feel like messing about with keys and doors. Didn't feel much like sleeping either. Back in the bedroom he pulled a blanket over Electra's still slumbering form and sat down on the windowseat to watch the stars die as the pink fingers of dawn crept in to touch them, one by one.


	19. Tainted PastDarkened Future

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

A/N: Wow.. i really haven't updated in a while... sorry!! university is a killer.. Anyways, due to the insistence of _certain ppl _and the reappearance - for however brief a stint - of my wonderful muse, i have... ANOTHER CHAPTER. (jess this one's for you.. bit of a late christmas present... enjoy :) ) Alright… what else did I have to say now... oh right... / are flashbacks, " " are spoken, italics are mindspeech or thinking - you should be able to tell which is which by reading it :P.

And for anyone who wanted to know, this story is POST-Wizard's Dilemma, but PRE anything else… so that's why it doesn't follow anything from AWA and on… plus I think I got some timeline stuff mixed up while I was writing earlier stuff since I didn't have my books around while I was writing parts… safe to say the whole thing's gone rather AU, but I hope that won't keep ppl from reading it. Ok, I think that's everything... if I missed something or you wanna drop me a line just click the lil purple button at the end :), and I'll shut up now so you can read the chapter…

_**Chapter 18: Visions of a Tainted Past, Spectres of a Darkened Future**_

_That must be where he lives._ Nysarl remarked matter-of-factly, cocking his head in the direction of the cave. _At any rate, it's where the trail ends._

Avrina gazed up into the pitch-black sky. _Not much longer until the TrueDark is over, and all hell breaks loose._

_No time to waste._ Nysarl reminded her gently, and the two entered the cave.

_Airon!_ Avrina called in broad mindspeech frequency. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally sneak up on a seventh-level wizard.

A section of the wall slid open suddenly beside her, and Avrina leaped sideways, startled, into Nysarl. The light of several natural growing Qeerris crystals imbedded in the walls illuminated the room beyond. _Come in,_ the voice came from inside the newly opened entrance. A wolf with a bright gold pelt stood in the light of the crystals.

_Are you Airon? _Avrina asked warily.

_Indeed. And you are Avrina. Welcome; and welcome to your loyal friend Nysarl. It is good to meet you both._

_I only wish it was under more pleasant circumstances._ Nysarl replied grimly. _We need some help._

_Tell me everything._ Airon's eyes clouded.

It took a while for the two to relate the series of events so far, in a rather disconnected way, since they were constantly interrupting each other to add details, or revise what the other had said. _So, we were wondering,_ Avrina finished, _if you can help at all. I know its kind of a long shot, but I really have no one else to turn to, and no one else who would know anything useful._

_Etherium crystals are very old._ Airon paused. _Scholars are still unable to tell us exactly how whatever race existed before us was able to utilize them. We know that they valued it highly, and with it they were able to create things we can only dream about -- some scholars think they actually discovered a way to manipulate time itself --, yet in the end, etherium destroyed them. It seems that it was used to create a great weapon, capable of massive destruction. All the cities we have discovered have been completely destroyed, and the ruins scattered across the northern continent and the easternmost section of the southern continent all bear traces of etherium. We believe that the reason we do not know how to use etherium today is because our illustrious forebears purposely withheld the information from future generations in order to prevent another catastrophe._

_So what am I supposed to do with it? _Avrina asked.

_I don't know._

He gave her such a strange look that Avrina felt uncomfortable and edged closer to Nysarl. _What do we do now? _she asked.

_Consult the Kaga._

_The what?_

_The Kaga. The Chronicle. Although that's not quite the most accurate term for it. It has not only history, but other information. Its more a compendium, of, well, everything. Everything a wizard needs to know is contained in the Kaga._

_Great! Is it in Mother's library? _Avrina turned and took several pawsteps towards the exit, her mind grasping at this hope of a goal, something she could achieve.

Airon laughed. _Not at all._

Avrina halted and turned. _Do you have it here then?_

_I guess you could say that._

Avrina sat back down and curled her tail around her paws, recognizing the slightly hesitant and evasive tone in Airon's voice; the same tone her mother took with most things involving the higher wizardry, and other things Avrina was considered too young to take a part in. _What aren't you telling me? There's more to it than just a book, isn't there?_

_Yes, quite a bit more. And I never said it was a book. The Kaga is… well we don't quite know what exactly it is. It's a bit of the Powers sent to help us; and that's about all we've discovered, despite all the work your mother and I have done researching it. How much do you know about my … relationship… with your mother? _the gold wolf inquired.

_I know you worked together, and that you're a seventh level wizard,_ Avrina said, _and that no one really knows all that much about you._

_Fair enough. The Conduit retains his or her wizard title, even though our wizardry becomes too erratic to depend on once one become the Conduit. As such a seventh level wizard serving as the Conduit really only practically operates at the fourth or fifth level._

_Conduit? What exactly is this Kaga?_

_We don't exactly know. It serves as a source of history, both practical and magical, but it manifests, well, through me. Essentially. _Avrina cast a lost glance at Nysarl and Airon continued. _Its kind of something you have to see for yourself._

_Can you…well… make it work? Or does it only work for Mother? _Avrina didn't ask _how_ exactly it worked.

_I think so. You're a wizard, and your bloodline is strong. We'll need some equipment though. _The gold wolf turned and stepped through deeper into the cavern. Avrina and Nysarl cautiously followed, watching as the older wolf nosed through piles of dried herbs on the numerous shelf-like indentations that had been obviously carved into the walls. Airon selected a couple stalks of a plant with stiff spade-shaped leaves, and sent Nysarl to fetch down a large shallow basin from a separate cubbyhole. Avrina herself was sent for a bucket of water from the natural spring that burbled into a small pond in the next room over.

Airon crumbled the plant leaves with his roughly padded paws and managed to nose it into a circular outline around the basin. He added the water and watched until it settled and the surface was smooth as glass, then drew runes Avrina only semi-recognized at each of the four compass points – north, south, east, west, and the matching elemental runes, water, earth, air, and fire, respectively. He then inscribed runes all along the outside of the circle he'd created, and then another line of runes inside the circle, none of which Avrina recognized. _One more thing,_ he said, looking to Avrina.

She looked back._ What?_

_Blood._

She held out a foreleg over the basin. _Do it._

Airon's well-practiced fangs nicked her so she barely felt the wound, and several drops of blood fell into the basin, disturbing the glassy stillness as they spread diluted threads of scarlet through the water. _Now I need your power to join mine for the spell. I have it all here, you are mainly the power source, although I myself don't understand all the runes involved. Part of my work still revolves around a full translation of this particular spell, but for now we don't need to understand it, only to use it. Say these runes,_ he indicated the strange markings over the compass points, and their accompanying elements, and I will add the rest, save for your name, which you must add yourself.

Avrina nodded and the spell took form in her mind, a delicately twisted strand of combined spells that spoke of power and age and knowledge. _Let us see what the Kaga will show us. _She attached her name and knotted it to the spell with a flourish.

There was a rushing sound, as from a high wind, although no wind could reach them in the tunnels. Airon's golden eyes rolled back in his head and he leaned forward and touched his nose to the basin. The surface rippled for a moment, then stilled again, and images slowly came into focus as Avrina and Nysarl stared at the water. Still dead-eyed, Airon began to speak, but his mindvoice was deeper, older, and more powerful than it had been only moments ago. They were not his words, Avrina realized, but the words of the Kaga speaking through him.

_Valron lived over one hundred and fifty years ago, Airon intoned in a voice that spoke of muted power. He had a very strong affinity for wizardry and reached the seventh level of wizardry at a very young age, the youngest ever in fact. A dangerous thing, for at that age one has more power than one's age and experience know how to put to good use. Particularly one of his temperament - strong, fiery, determined, and insatiably curious. These are all excellent traits, however the combination tends to be rather explosive and results in either a highly dedicated and skilled ally… or a fiendishly clever and extremely dangerous opponent._

_Frustrated by the attempts of his elders to contain his talents, Valron began to explore the darker side of wizardry, but was slowed as with each subsequent step he took away from the tenants of the Oath, he found his power waning. His interest in the darkness overcame his reluctance to lose his powers in the end, although he sought constantly for a way to retain both. This search was hampered by the fact that there was precious little information on the Forbidden Arts in the wizard's library. And so he sought information; a search that spelled the beginning of the end._

_The Wizards of Vernalla had, for time out of mind, been the Guardians of what was only referred to as the 'Dark Book', when it was called anything at all. It was purportedly an evil text, full of forbidden rites and rituals, and other spells of dark power. The Book was kept in the deepest part of the Cave of Guardians, but since it had not actually been seen for ages – and certainly never used – its very existence was something of a legend. The wizard guardians themselves rarely even entered the cavern, and then never deeper than the first cave._

_Valron resolved to steal the Dark Book, if it existed. What began as a childish plot developed into a dark and twisted reality of the alarming and sinister type as Valron sought counter-wizardries to break past the wards of the Cave of Guardians, discovering, in the process, the basic workings of bloodmagic. It was too easy for him to begin bleeding rabbits for his spells, and too easy for him to move from rabbits to larger animals. Upon accidentally causing the death of one of a child during a routine hunt, Valron soon learned that the blood of a wizard, or one of a wizard pedigree was more powerful than volumes of deer blood, and soon more children began disappearing._

_Thirty or so children and six full adult wizards - one of the fifth level – later, Valron, drunk on power, slew the ceremonial guards stationed at the Cave's entrance and smashed through the ancient wards guarding the Dark Book. The wizards were stunned by this act. In disarray they pulled together their forces, but Valron lost no time in using this newfound item of destruction. Although the very pages stained his fingers and his very soul black, and the words emblazoned on those pages seared his eyes and mind, he continued down the path of the Oathbreaker, and the forces at his command far outweighed anything the wizards threw at him._

_Rocks, trees, mountains, weather were all at Valron's beck and call. He could make the sea rise, or the stars fall in fiery blazes from the heavens. This perversion of wizardry was not without its price though. Native creatures sickened and died, and did not breed. The rain, when it fell, smelled of sulfur and burned the earth and green things where it fell. The moon's orbits changed, and they no longer shone blue or white in the dark of night, but only hung limply in a dead sky, shedding bloodred light on a planet descending into chaos. It was at this time that Valron also created the Shadows._

_Shadows…hideous mutated hybrid creatures, mockeries of life that existed only to cause chaos, pain, and death, Valron created this bloodthirsty pack of demonic monsters, and using bloodmagic, tied them to their intended victims. They took the form of grotesquely terrifying wolves with knife-sharp teeth and claws far too long for any real wolf, but their most dangerous aspect was their frighteningly blank eyes. If one ever matched gazes with a Shadow, it was a glance he would never recover from; his soul would be sucked out of his body and into the infinite black Void that lurked behind those orbs, leaving his helpless body to the mercy of bloodstained fangs. Each Shadow was linked to its target through magic and the victim was literally Shadowed to death. Shadows do not possess living souls, and are therefore intangible, however this does not make them harmless. They haunt your waking and your sleeping. They slink in the dark of your shadow, they enter your dreams and turn them into nightmares, so that victims get little or no sleep. They wear their victims down until they give in and look into those Shadow eyes. Then the Shadow sucks out their soul and destroys the empty body._

_Valron originally set Shadows on specific wizards – beginning with the most powerful – since they were costly to create, both in physical materials and wizard-power. However the Shadows' method of killing had an unexpected side effect: once the Shadow had absorbed a soul it became tangible, except during the TrueDark, the time of no moon. Soon packs of Shadows who had already absorbed their victims ran unchecked all over Vernalla, out of even their creator's control._

_It was then that another young wizard began to shine, the wizard's hope for Vernalla, a new and powerful seventh level named Sirena. It was she who found a way to defeat the Shadows, who were cutting the population size daily. She worked a binding spell on the Shadows, however such things could only be bound by a living soul, and the only available souls were their own. In one night, life for Vernallans changed drastically._

_The Shadows had been created from the souls of the dead, called back to the world of the living, twisted by dark wizardry, and forced to animate the form the caller provided. Sirena's spell bound the Shadows to the living Vernallans, fusing the soul energies involved. It was a risky spell, and depended entirely upon the individual strength of each soul to withstand being bound to a Shadow. It also had a cost – forevermore the Vernallans bore two forms: their original human shapes, and the shape of the Shadow within. It didn't take long for other effects of the spell to surface, such as the fact that the Shadow side was strongest in the dark of the moon, and it was this time that was most dangerous._

_More than a few Vernallans went insane during the first TrueDark, when their Shadowsides became dominant; their soul and willpower not strong enough to contain the darkness within. To this day, some believe these lost souls haunt the world still, particularly during the TrueDark, when their Shadows are most powerful. However, those who survived grew stronger and bolder, rejoicing in their victory over their enemy's greatest weapon. It was at this time that Valron took an interest in Sirena. Using the Dark Arts to mask his shape he pursued her, and they were lovers for a short time, until Sirena discovered his true identity._

_Their union produced twins. Born during troubled times, they were no strangers to war and strife. The blood of the two most powerful wizards of the millennium coursed in their veins and due to the shortage of wizards over the course of the war, Tala and Ze'ev were swiftly integrated into the magical line of defense. Their awesome young power, coupled with that of their mother, turned the tide of war. It all ended one final bloody night, as Ze'ev, the Conduit, relayed passages from the Book of Night With Moon. However Valron was too powerful to destroy, and the best that the remaining wizards of any significant power – Sirena, Airon, Tala, and Ze'ev – managed to do was to bind him and transport him out of our dimension and into the Void, a place beyond Death, from whence he had Called the souls the powered his Shadows._

_The Dark Book was recaptured and returned to the Cave of Guardians until a Council could be called to deal with it, and the young wizards poured all the energy they had left into building the strongest gate spells they could manage to ward the Book. Tala died shortly after the spells were erected. Her death affected Ze'ev the most, since he was her twin and counterpart. Tala had been the strongest wizard – besting even her mother for sheer power – and as such, Ze'ev, the Conduit, was most closely linked to her. He was never the same after her death; he renounced his wizardry, causing the position of Conduit to pass to Airon._

_With the coming of peace and the passage of time, as well as the banishment of Valron, the Shadow transformations of the Vernallans grew less monstrous and more wolfish, until most traces of the ravenous demonic monsters had vanished, leaving shapeshifters who were only occasionally reminded of their darker roots by the occasional child who went mad at their first TrueDark transformation. Even these and the other lost souls quieted, and fewer and fewer were lost to the madness until it became a very rare thing indeed. Still the shadow of the past hangs over the world of Vernalla, particularly with the reacceptance of the Guardianship of the Dark Book._

Airon collapsed and his eyes returned to normal. With a wan smile he sat back up, and looked about to say something when he was seized by a sudden fit of convulsions. His eyes rolled up in his head and a harsh grating voice sounded, the words sharp and painful, as though they were being ripped from the gold wolf's throat. _The Dark is rising! The Shadows walk again! Beware the moonless night! The Fallen One will call the Spirits of the Dead and bring forth again the Nameless One. This shall be the ending of the world, and darkness, darkness shall cover all! Run, run wolf warrior, to the ends of the world; even there you will not find peace, and the Nightwalkers will haunt your every step! Four will come to reclaim this world – four of wizardblood. One for fire, wolf-born, she carries the Shadow in her soul. One for air, her vision will see her through. One for water, unquenchable of spirit, his heart will lead him. One for earth, his strength will hold them true. Hold fast to the light and flee the Darkness to come!_

When the last shudders had finally left Airon, Avrina touched him gently with her nose. He felt cold to the touch, but he was breathing and his heart still beat. _Look,_ Nysarl glanced at the basin. The water within was roiling, as though a tiny storm lurked over its surface, and the water itself was black as a starless night. _What the four moons and seven circles was that all about? _he asked.

_I don't know, _Avrina said slowly, _but whatever else it was, it was a message. I don't know who from, but once Airon wakes up, we might know more. In any case, I don't like it._

It was several hours before Airon regained consciousness. With the awareness consciousness brings he became aware also of the fact that he had been unconscious, and aware also of the reason why. _The vision!_ he exclaimed, as his amber eyes snapped open. He grimaced and shut them almost as fast; the brightness of even the dim cavern light seemed harsh after having his senses amplified by his contact with the Kaga.

_Oh thank the Powers!_ A hot dry nose touched his own. His own nose told him it was Avrina. _We were afraid you wouldn't get up. Is it always like that?_

_No. No its not. Something invaded my mind at the end of the Kaga's sending. I – I think I recognize the signature, but… it doesn't make sense,_ Airon frowned. _Besides no one should be able to break in on the Kaga's sending. It bodes ill. There is a way to find out though… we should visit Ze'ev, the previous Conduit. This signature… it feels like his, but he gave up his wizardry… and he never had The Sight anyway. That was Tala's talent. Squinting, Airon slowly opened his eyes again. How much time do we have?_

_Not enough._

_Never enough. We may have to do this the hard way. I don't know if this'll work, since you've probably never done it, and I haven't tried in a long time, and Ze'ev might not even be able to receive a Sending, but we'll try it anyway._

_Sending?_

_Mindwalking over distances. We'll Send a message and see if he responds. I'll need your power though._

Avrina repeated the words of the spell as Airon spoke it, and added her name and power parameters at the end. Immediately she felt the questing strand of their Sending as it sifted through the minds of the wizards of Vernalla, searching, questing, probing… and then… bright light. The end latched onto something and the strand snapped taut, guiding Avrina along its length toward the shining light at the end.

_Who goes?_ a remarkably soft voice questioned in a musical tone.

_Avrina, wizard, daughter of Sirena._

_Daughter of the high wizard, welcome to you. What would you know?_

_Did you send Airon a vision?_

_I did. Well, I did through Ze'ev. Remember my words, little wizard, for the Sight does not lie._

_Airon told me Ze'ev did not have the Sight? Wait – through Ze'ev? Who are you then?_

_I am Tala._

_Impossible! You're – you're dead!_

A musical laugh. _I am indeed. But many of those who were are again walking this land. The Lost Ones have awoken, the Shadows walk again, and the Gates of the Dead have been reopened. I myself have passed through those gates for the purpose of warning my people. My brother's spirit was the only one near enough to me in blood and thought to hold my spirit, and my Sight manifests to him for as long as I am within him. Yet still my ties to death let me feel what is beneath the surface in Vernalla._

_Tala…_ Avrina's mind was whirling. A dead wizard sending her messages, and the knowledge of her own relationship with this particular wizard and her brother… siblings she had never known she had… but her worries pushed back to the forefront of her mind. She needed information and she needed it now. If they survived this, she could confront her mother later. _What's happening, Tala? You've been through the gates of Death…you who see the future…you bring me warnings I don't understand, prophesies that are cryptic at best; that show me darkness and blood. What can I do? What must I do? Will my mother die? Will Vernalla perish in this darkness?_

_Hush! My time is short. The Dead are not welcome in life, though some will cling to it. My Sight is accurate but not clear; prophesies are always more easily understood in hindsight. I do not understand it all myself, I only knew I had to deliver it to the living. You must keep the darkness from devouring us before the Four come. I do not know how long it will be until they arrive… an hour, a day… months, years even. But I feel the shuddering of the Gates of the Dead. Soon he will break out, if he is not called first. Even now his Shadows walk. If you do not find the Four by the end of the TrueDark; if Raamath completes the bloodsacrifice, it will be the end. You must find a way to preserve us. If Vernalla is beyond saving, then flee… flee far from here, and do not look back. Seek the Four._

_But how? How to get all of us away safely? Is it even possible? Abandon Vernalla… our world… _Avrina's mindvoice trailed off. She had not even considered such a course of action. Transport spells were tricky at best, and ate a lot of power. And that was moving only one body, without even considering off-planet travel, which would almost certainly be required. Valron loose on Vernalla again… visions from the basin and Airon's Kaga history lesson flew to the front of her mind; she saw again the bloodred moons hanging dead in the skies, the green things dying, choking, burning in the acid rains; the earth soaked in the blood of children; the air filled with weeping, screaming, and sounds of battle and the coppery scent of blood everywhere as the darkness swept over the horizon rolling forward and covering everything in its shadow…

… _when darkness, darkness covers all._ Tala's voice sang softly.

_How can I stop it? How can I save them all? Mass transport off-planet… it can't be done. I don't have that kind of power, and even a Worldgate could not handle the entire population… _she trailed off helplessly. _impossible..._

_It is not impossible. The ancients had this power. Long ago. They harnessed the power of stars in crystals of pure energy, stored the power of a thousand years to be released at will._

_Etherium! But how? No one alive today knows the spells that were used by the ancients!_

_No one alive… but remember little wizard that there are those among us now who are not of the living. You carry one such with you now. Your Shadowside. My Sight can see her faintly; she was once a wizard before she became a Shadow. Before Valron broke all the laws of the Living and the Dead and Called the souls of the past to inhabit his Shadows; before your mother bound the Shadows to us for all time and gave us our Shadowshapes._

_Free my Shadowside?_ Avrina's horror at the suggestion was tempered only by her desperation to prevent the future Tala had Seen. _I would fall to the Shadow; I would become a Lost One! How could I do anything like that? You cannot -_

_You must master your Shadowside and find a way to save us all. Go now. Time is fading and I can hear him pounding at the Gates. His power is strong even from beyond Death and the Void and I hear the Lone Power through him… that jarring melody out of tune with everything around him, breaking, rising, falling, spinning, dragging, drowning out the Lifesong. Go! Go now and do what you can. The Powers protect you, the blessing of the four moons upon you, little sister. _The bright light dimmed as the thread snapped.

_Wait!_ Avrina called, but she was gone and there was nothing to do but open her eyes.

_The moons are setting , _Nysarl said grimly. _Time to go._

Avrina nodded. _'To hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour'…_

_The fate of our world will be decided this hour. _Airon said with finality. _Our eternity... or our end._


	20. Mindgames

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

A/N: Hey to anyone still reading this, sorry for the LOOOONNNNG breaks between updates. University is a killer. Anyways, here is... a new chapter!! YES ITS TRUE, I'VE UPDATED...I seem to have trouble near the end of stories, so i'm not gonna guarantee no more massively long breaks, but I WILL finish this...eventually. Alright… what else did I have to say now... oh right... / are flashbacks, " " are spoken, italics are mindspeech or thinking - you should be able to tell which is which by reading it :P. Ok, I think that's everything... if I missed something or you wanna drop me a line just click the lil purple button at the end marked Review :), and I'll shut up now so you can read the chapter…

_**Chapter 19: Mindgames**_

Nita repeated the strange words for what must have been the fourteenth time. The syllables felt strange but familiar at the same time; a weird blend of the Speech and a mishmash of ancient tongues – Sanskrit, Arabic, Greek, and Assyrian among others. The candleflame flickered as she bent it to her will; shapes formed in the fire – a horse, a bird, a tiny dragon – as Nita recited various phrases under her aunt's direction. The little candleflame dragon sneezed a tiny smoke ring, before his flame body was abruptly extinguished.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Aunt Annie said finally.

Nita nodded, exhausted, and helped put away the candles and other things strewn about the dining room table before sleepily climbing the stairs, and getting ready for bed, satisfied with her small progress. Even in the chaos of her mind, the Old Magic felt…right…somehow. Like wizardry – it just … fit. Working with the ancient words – this strange version of the Speech – and hearing all the other things involved in the Old Magic fascinated her.

Nita drifted off to sleep, the fingers of her right hand curled about a smooth green stone – jade – and Aunt Annie's words still echoing through her mind:

"This is a focusing crystal – one of the better ones I've found. It's only flaws are very small, barely noticeable. Keep it with you always. The stone will tune itself to you, to your magic. Eventually you'll be able to use it to help channel the Old Magic; to direct it more accurately. You can also use it to store extra power…"

Nita wasn't all that great with inanimate objects – rocks and things were more Kit's specialty – but even she could feel something special about the piece of jade. Working with the Old Magic had awakened an awareness in her and the stone responded in kind. Its soft pulsing woke her scarcely an hour later.

Muzzily, she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes and blinked at the clock, but the red numbers refused to come into focus. She turned her attention to the jade, which shone in her hand, a pale, almost sickly, green and continued pulsing. Nita placed it on the dresser and it immediately went dark and silent. Tentatively she reached out and touched it, and where her fingers made contact her prints glowed the same pale green color. She picked it up again and it regained its soft glow, and began pulsing again.

Nita wasn't sure what to make of it. Was this what Aunt Annie meant about the jade becoming 'attuned' to her? Or something else entirely? Aunt Annie had shown Nita her own moonstone crystal and it hadn't glowed or pulsed when she held it. Almost unconsciously she felt for Kit's mindpresence.

_Kit?_

He felt far away – well he _was_ back home – and she wasn't sure if he was still angry with her or not. Nita sent out a tentative mindprod, trying to sense if he was actively ignoring her, or if he was just sleeping or otherwise occupied. She didn't know enough about rocks to know if magic-imbued rocks were supposed to glow or not. Inanimate objects were Kit's forte. Nita toyed with the mindprobe and pushed a little bit harder, since he wasn't responding.

_Kit!_

Even if he _was_ still mad at her, he could at least say _something_. They'd had fights before, but their wizardry and their friendship had always _always_ come first. Even in the worst argument they would both willingly drop their respective sides and join forces to figure out a complex spell or sort through an assignment belonging to one or the other. And more and more, Nita had noticed, their assignments seemed to be linked. They rarely got completely unrelated assignments, until this newest one that had separated them. She had been sure that wouldn't keep them apart, but her resurfacing confusing feelings about Ronan – her hand went unconsciously to her lips – and her own jealousy over Electra's monopoly on Kit's time; yes that's what it was, jealousy – was it going to tear them further apart? The realization made her long all the more acutely for Kit's solid presence. She could almost hear his voice, telling her to stop being ridiculous and focus on the task at hand, see Kit sitting at her kitchen table eating sandwiches and arguing with Dairine, feel Kit and Ponch walking beside her as they visited Tom and Carl when they hit a snag in whatever they were working on… Kitkitkitkitkit. Even though she valued Ronan's help, she'd give anything to have Kit here right now. He still wasn't answering her mental 'pings', as she and Kit had taken to calling them, based on submarine sonar terms.

_Kit!!??_

She pushed forcefully this time, about the mental equivalent of giving up on the doorbell, and fully pounding on the door. Then… something was wrong. That was the only warning she got; a vague feeling that something wasn't right, that she should just leave it alone, leave _now_ – and then her probe slid all the way into Kit's mind. No walls, no defenses, just a flash of panic, an intense sharp thrust that dissolved into chaos. Images swirled around, entering her mind unbidden, and emotions, her own and Kits, twirling in a macabre ballet; dancers holding thin knives that sliced painfully, leaving vicious red slashes everywhere. Fragmented visions of Kit's room invaded her mind. She saw his room, his walls, a flash of black – Ponch curled on the rug, – felt a fast heartbeat in her chest, a fierce longing in her soul, blood rushing through her veins at ahundredmilesanhour, fingerstinglingroomspinninghandstouchinglipsmeetingguiltangerfearhurt, a million thoughts and feelings and slammed into her consciousness with the devastative impact of a meteor on the moon's surface.

That is exactly how Nita felt – like her mind had been cratered. For one instantaneous second, one infinitesimal second, she _was_ Kit, not just in his mind, but inside his essence. She felt it all for that one second, swam in the chaotic storm of Kit's emotions – guilt, fear, rage, sorrow, longing, and others – and felt Electra's warm body under her hands, the wolfgirl's jet-black hair tangled over her face, until her mind screamed with the pain of it all, all the imput from senses not her own, over vast distance, and the strain of being in two minds at once. She snapped – literally. The closest example Nita could cite was a feeling of being an elastic band pulled in two different directions, stretched until it gave and snapped, sending its two separated ends flying apart with devastating force. Her last thought before she lost consciousness – _Tom, I'm sorry…_

_//flashback//_

"You can hear each other's thoughts?"

"Yeah! Isn't that awesome? It's great for spellwork, and for when we need to coordinate stuff."

"Nita, I don't need to tell you that you need to be careful with telepathy, do I? It's one of the more dangerous skills a wizard can develop."

"Dangerous?" Nita frowned. She had thought Tom would be as thrilled as she was. Now he was telling her it was dangerous? All wizardry was dangerous, and he'd always encouraged her before. She took an apple out of the fruit bowl and began rolling it back and forth on the countertop.

"Nita, the ability to communicate without speaking means that you have developed a bond with Kit, and that bond, and your trust in each other, is strong enough to reach out to each other through distances." Tom paused, feeling around the tools strewn over the kitchen floor, then sighed and pulled his head out from under the sink in order to locate the wrench he was looking for. "Incidentally, how far does your telepathy reach?"

"Hmm… well I think the farthest we've communicated from is… a couple hundred miles? Kit didn't know I'd popped out, and only got dad when he phoned the house… you know, that day I went with Dairine to help with her settle that incident with the Gate in Florida. Why is that important?"

"Because the distance indicates how deep your connection is, generally speaking." Tom replied slowly, his words punctuated by the ringing of wrench on pipe.

"Why should that be a problem? We're partners. We're supposed to be close, and work together. We're better together. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Oh, no, no. It's one of those things to be careful of, especially," he gave her a significant look, "if personal feelings get involved."

Nita blushed deeply and opened her mouth to make a heated reply, but Tom clambered out from under the sink, and pulled a chair up to the countertop, holding up a hand to stay Nita's outburst. "Far be it from me to comment on your personal life. It's not my business, and I won't tell you what's right or wrong; in fact there really isn't any way that anything is wholly right or wrong in the realm of friends – or lovers – " his eyes twinkled, "Nita stop blushing, I'm sorry, I'll stop teasing now," he apologized, "but, in complete seriousness, you do need to hear what I say next. People have instinctive mental 'walls' around their minds. These are natural, and even non-wizards have them. Don't ever try to read someone's mind with telepathy – you'll hit these walls and the effects can be devastating. People will do anything to protect themselves, and there is no way to attack someone more viciously than through their mind."

Nita opened her mouth to protest, but Tom anticipated it, and continued, "I know you'd never do that, especially not to Kit, but this applies to _all_ telepathy. If you become proficient at it, you might be tempted to use it on someone, someday, accidentally or purposefully, not anyone close to you, perhaps, but an opponent, or an avatar of the Lone Power – Nita, you're not the only one to ever have discovered this power. There are precedents for all these situations. I don't want to scare you, and I don't want to discourage you, but I'm your Senior and it's my responsibility to make you aware of the possible implications. Do you understand? I'm very happy for you, believe me. Telepathy, especially with one's partner can be infinitely handy, but I need you to be warned about the dangers as well. There is a dark side to everything, and to be safe, you need to know about both. Otherwise I'd be failing as your mentor. If you remember nothing else, I need you to remember this: never try to read people's minds, and never enter a mind past the Deeper walls."

"The Deeper walls?"

"Like I said, wizards and nonwizards alike seem to have a natural 'wall' ability that we use to protect our essence; the deepest parts of our mind. Even among people who share everything there is still a part of them that makes them _themselves_ and no one else; a unique combination of self awareness – thoughts, emotions, we're not entirely sure what all goes into a person's mental identity, but we protect it at all costs. There are different 'layers' of mental walls though. The Deeper walls are the furthest from surface thoughts."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, well most telepaths communicate on a basic surface level – the place where their most common thoughts float – this is where things like, the words you say, or things you think but don't say, are present in your mind. Further into the mind are information sections – as far as those telepaths who have studied the mind can tell, there are several of these information sections scattered through the different parts of the mind; the first one holds basic essential and unimportant information, how to eat, how to dress, how to make lunch. Past this surface area is a sort of middle section – this usually holds long-term memories like your sixth birthday party, or your first trip to the zoo, the first time you did a spell, things like that – older memories.

Then there's more informational and memory sections, each one walled by stronger and stronger mental barriers, until you reach what telepaths call 'the Deeper walls'. These are the walls that block that identity, the self that you are. Never ever try to enter a mind past this point. Even best friends and family will be destroyed by the defenses people unconsciously erect around this part of their minds."

Nita nodded. "All right. I'll be careful. I know you're only looking out for us, but Kit and I will be fine."

Tom smiled, "Yes, you certainly have done well for yourselves. You're both very accomplished wizards for your age, but with that comes – "

"Responsibility, yes, we know. That's why I told you in the first place." She glanced at her watch. "Oh wow, I gotta get going – but Tom, I'd be interested in doing some further reading on … other telepaths, and some of that stuff you were telling me… if you have anything like that, that is."

"Absolutely. It's a good idea. Might help you learn to use it more effectively too. Let me see where I put that book – "

_// end flashback//_

"Nita? Nita, Ronan's here." Aunt Annie poked her head into Nita's room, but her niece didn't show any signs of higher consciousness. "Did you want me to wake her up, Ronan?" she called down the stairs.

"Oh, no. If she's not up, I can start working on stuff without her. She's been kind of stressed lately. Let her sleep."

"All right, then." Aunt Annie shut the door softly and went back downstairs.

Ronan settled himself on the living room sofa, books and crackling old parchments strewn across the low table, and propped open against both sofa arms. A wavering projection screen of semi-solidified air hung in front of him, and he added occasional lines, scribbles, and other notes to it occasionally as he read through the vast resources surrounding him. He surfaced from his work at lunch, and then again a couple of hours later to poke his head in Nita's door, but she showed no change. Ronan tried to make some headway alone, but without Nita's directional intuitions, he felt he was making about as much progress as he would if he were banging his head against a wall. And why wasn't she waking up anyway? She'd rarely slept late the whole time she'd been here, and it was already four in the afternoon.

Ronan flung a book across the room, irritated, then sighed and disentangled himself from the papers around him to retrieve it. He sat down, and carefully smoothed out the creased pages, sighing. His frustration stemmed from a feeling that they needed to hurry. A look at the screen wavering in the air above him confirmed this feeling, as more and more lines, links, nodes, and even planets were consumed by darkness every minute of every hour of every day. His own beloved Earth was fighting her heart out, but when he turned the screen's vision inside, the stranglehold of black lines around the glowing gold worldkernel grew thicker and tighter and darker. The outbreaks of mythical creatures had increased, and a special taskforce had been formed specifically to capture and restrain them until they disappeared, and deal with erasing memories or cleaning up other aftermath surrounding the phenomena.

"Dammit," he swore. He needed Nita. Much as he'd love to just let her sleep, the fate of the world; of many worlds; whole galaxies, in fact, depended on them. The image of a banshee flashed across his mind, along with the knowledge that he might not be around much longer to help Nita. Although most of what he'd 'helped' with, she'd have discovered on her own anyway. She didn't need him. This was her assignment. The fate of galaxies and whole universes, rested on _her_. Reluctantly, left the living room, put a hand on the twisting banister railing, and ascended the steps to the second floor. Only to come flying back down the stairs scant minutes later, calling for Aunt Annie.

"Ronan! Ronan, slow down. What's going on?"

"I don't know! But Nita's not asleep."

Aunt Annie's face creased into a frown, as she raced up the stairs beside the frantic boy. She walked in through Nita's open door, and knelt at the bedside. Nita lay in the same position she'd been in that morning when Ronan had arrived, head to one side, one arm flung out to the side. She was barely breathing, only an occasional raspy, creaking gasp betrayed oxygen entering her lungs, and her heartbeat was very faint. Looking closer, Aunt Annie noticed that the fingers of Nita's hand clutched a glowing green object. She managed to pry the jade out of Nita's grasp, and the stone fell cold and dark to the floor. Nita took one more shuddering breath, and then fell completely silent.

"What do we do?" Ronan's voice was pitched with panic.

"Help me," Aunt Annie declared in her no-nonsense voice. "I need to put her in stasis until we can find out what's wrong with her, and I need to do it _now_, before she suffers brain damage from lack of oxygen." She began to chant in a strange, yet familiar language, and then dragged the bed away from the wall with strength that betrayed her appearance and age, to trace diagrams on the floor with a flaming finger.

"What can I do?"

Aunt Annie turned to him, and he could feel the magic rolling off her in waves. Her pupils were gone, and small tongues of fire flickered in her eyes instead. The syllables of the OldTongue continued to echo around the room, and the fiery diagrams flared as she spoke, "I need your power."

Ronan nodded and held out his hand. Aunt Annie grasped it, and as she spoke the last words of the spell, Ronan felt the pieces of the spell fitting together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Phrases sank into their places in the corners of diagrams, and tied into each other, locking in place. That's what it was! Ronan finally saw its shape. A lock, a massive lock. Round and round Nita, wrapped phrases for stillness, stopping, sleep, silence, pausing, timelessness, frozenness, and suspension. The strands of the diagram locked to her, important phrases glowing, – phrases for time limits, locations, six digits of space coordinates, and one large phrase; the power input. Aunt Annie had put in as much power as she could without killing herself, but she was still short. Ronan took one look at Nita, still unmoving and unbreathing, and then passed all the power he could into the spell and signed his name, closing the spell with a wizard's knot. He felt the energy drain straight out of him, and the room went fuzzy as the carpet rose to meet him.

"Nita…"

* * *

Green, green everywhere. Swimming through green oceans, that inverted themselves, dumping him on green shores, the green sky above him, running through green meadows, the green sun above him, a green dog at his heels. Through it all, a distant mumbling in a strange language. The green dog abruptly sat down and woofed a mournful protest, staring at its own limp green tail. Kit felt dizzy and sat on the green ground, putting his head on his knees and closing his eyes. It didn't help. More green invaded his senses, and a cool green nose touched the back of his neck. 

The mumbling grew louder and softer by turns, and every time it swelled or fell, the world upended itself, landing him in another green world with an increased sense of dizziness. Six flips later, he was so dizzy he couldn't remember anything but green – not his name, where he came from, anything – all he knew was green. All he'd ever known was green, green, green and turning, and the small green monster that followed him through every inversion of his surroundings. His head felt inside out, and nothing was stable. He even seemed to think in green. A fleeting thought, "is this madness?" flitted through his head, and he barely had time to wonder at it, "What is madness? For that matter, what is thought?" before it was gone again, lost in green sunflowers and a skyful of swirling green clouds.

Kit buried his hands in the green fur of his tagalong monster – dog? his mind insisted – but his head couldn't clear enough to make him understand the word, so he shook it off and tried to concentrate on the mumbling. It seemed important, but the sheer craziness of the green world wouldn't allow him to focus. He couldn't tell if he was upside down or right side up, or even if those terms had any relevance in his position, since even if he _was_ one or the other, neither felt any different.

* * *

"What do _you_ want?" Dairine asked icily. 

"I – I need your help."

"What makes you think _I'd_ help _you_?" Dairine arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, somehow managing to seem controlling and condescending although she was a good foot and a half shorter than the girl in front of her.

"Kit – Kit's in trouble, and I don't know anyone else…You _have _to help him! I know you don't like me, but for Kit…?"

"I'm not exactly speaking to Kit right now," Dairine said matter-of-factly, "and just so you know, it's mostly your fault. Besides he's probably just faking it so Nita will feel sorry for him and talk to him again. And I gotta say, that's a lousy tack, so you can just tell him I'm not biting. And I'm not mediating either. In either case _you_ can just run along home."

The girl's silver eyes flashed, and she swiped her jet-black hair out of her red-rimmed eyes, making the silver streaks in her hair shimmer in the afternoon sunlight. "You little bitch," she hissed. "This is _not_ about any of that."

"Oh I very much think it is," Dairine snapped, her own green eyes sparking. "And I very much want your wolfy ass _off_ my front porch before you end up in another _dimension_; perhaps one where all your inner organs turn _two-dimensional_."

With a supreme effort of willpower, Electra kept herself from switching to wolf form and attempting to rip out the girl's throat. From the crackling aura surrounding her, the little wizard had power in plenty; enough to make good on her threat and then some, and Electra was not going to win her cooperation by attacking her. In fact, much as she hated to admit it, Dairine was fully capable of shredding her 'wolfy ass' any time she wanted. "This," Electra restated trying to keep her voice calm, "is not about the situation between me and Kit and Nita. I really do need your help. When I woke up this morning, Kit was still asleep, and he still hasn't woken up. It's been hours and hours, and Ponch can't wake him up either. He said – he said that he can't _find_ Kit. I told him it was because he was asleep but he keeps going on about it, and then the glow came, and I don't know what to do!"

Dairine frowned. "Glow? And where _is_ Ponch anyway?"

"Yes, a green glow. Like the Indiglo on a watch. Soft, but it shines in the dark. And Ponch is on Kit's bed. He fell asleep too, and that's when I went to find you. He won't wake up either, but at least he isn't glowing. Look, I know you don't like me, and I guess you have every reason, but this isn't about me. It's about Kit. We can work everything else out later, but I'm afraid he might die. His heart rate has been steadily decreasing, and his breathing's been getting more and more irregular, and I don't know enough about wizardry to fix him. Will you help him?"

Dairine turned abruptly, and pushed the door all the way open, stepping back into the house. "Dad, I'm going out. I might be a while." A muffled reply that could have been "okay sweetheart" wafted from under the basement door. "Spot!" Dairine called up the stairs, then turned to Electra who still stood uncomfortably on the porch. "Alright. I'm coming, just let me get my stuff."

Electra nodded, and leaned back against the doorframe. Dairine returned from upstairs carrying a backpack slung over one shoulder and what looked like a living laptop computer ambling along behind her. Electra gave Spot a wide berth, and looked to Dairine for direction. Dairine glared at her and set her jaw. "Well? Let's go then. Just remember this, I'm not doing this for you, or even for Kit. I'm doing it for my sister 'cuz she'd be really upset if I just let him die or whatever. She'll get over being mad soon enough, and then they'll make up, but _you_ – I still have a score to settle with you." Electra gave her a curt nod.

* * *

Blackness, blackness everywhere. Nita opened her eyes, or at least she _thought_ she'd opened her eyes. In this complete darkness it was impossible to tell if her eyes were really open, since there was no difference between what her body told her was 'eyes open' and 'eyes closed'. "Am I dead?" Nita asked aloud of no one in particular. A shimmer of light drew Nita's eye, being the only bright thing in the darkness. With nothing else to guide her, she reached out a hand to the thread of light, with a mind to follow it and see where it led. As soon as her fingers touched it, a blazing presence flared to life. The apparition took the form of a silver wolf. "Farwalker! I greet you! Dai stiho!" 

Finally something she recognized! "Dai stiho!" Nita returned the greeting.

The wolf's presence flared brighter. "You answered me!" It seemed amazed. "Forgive me, it is just that there are very very few who are actually capable of journeying this close to the brink without crossing over. I have tried and tried to reach out, but this is as far as I can project my presence, even with the Dark Gates opening once more. And of the few who have come this far, and still been able to speak to me, you are the first and only wizard. Tell me, wizard, did it work? Was it worth it? Are there any from Vernalla left, any of my blood? Or were they all lost to the Darkness?"

"Not all of them. Some are still around. You're one of the wolf wizards from Vernalla then? I have so many questions! What happened back then? Where did the dark hyperlinks come from? Do you know how to stop them?"

"Farwalker, you do my heart good. My people survived. But this darkness you speak of – I see evil in your mind, evil that has spread far and wide, a dark devouring chaos. This bears the fangmarks of one of my kind, I am sad to say. A warlock of my time attempted to reawaken him, the one my mother bound. We stopped him then, but it was too late to save our world. The darkness seeped over it, and consumed it; it was all I could do to give my people a chance for survival. And yet that is not the end, and now you must do what we could not. Farwalker, death's hold is strong, do not come too near the void or you will be lost. I do not know how long I can stay – although the Dark Doors have been opened once more, I am still bound to those realms. The Dark is rising, and the Shadows walk again…" the silver wolf's voice dropped to a worried tone, then her ears stood straight up on her head and her silver eyes seized Nita's green ones, (A/N: can't find my books… if I got color wrong, let me know) "Listen! 'Four will come to reclaim this world – four of wizardblood. One for fire, wolf-born, she carries the Shadow in her soul. One for air, her vision will see her through. One for water, unquenchable of spirit, his heart will lead him. One for earth, his strength will hold them true. Hold fast to the light and flee the Darkness!' I did not understand…I did not understand. Here, here it is! You! You are the Seer! Your visions will guide the others! You must relay this to them; I will tell you what I can." Her silver outline wavered, then flickered out entirely.

"Wait!" Nita shouted. "Come back! I don't understand any of what you've told me! Come back! I don't even know where I am! Help!" But there was only darkness. Nita sank down to the ground? floor? and hugged her knees to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. This darkness wasn't heavy or oppressive like the dark hyperlinks, but it _was_ dark. And very complete. At least with her eyes closed she couldn't tell that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. She could pretend she was home in bed, and that any minute Dairine or her father would bang on the door, or the sun would shine through her window, or Kit would call… powers above, Kit! A ferocious longing threatened to crush her.

Suddenly it wasn't important that they had major problems to work out, and all the things Nita had been rolling around in her mind seemed suddenly unimportant next to the fact that she was very alone, and very much wanted her partner with her. Her mind instinctively reached out for Kit and met… nothing. Nothing at all. She couldn't reach out at all. Nita felt strangely disconnected, like a cell phone taken out of range. She was dialing the number but had no signal whatsoever. The thought was frightening and disconcerting. She had no idea where she was, or how to get back, and now the one thing she had depended on above all others – her telepathy, which had always worked when nothing else did – was suddenly blocked.

That couldn't be right. With desperation and panic beginning to overwhelm her, Nita tried again and again to contact someone, anyone. She tried accessing her claudication, thinking she could send a message using her manual, but nothing happened. She tried basic spells. Nothing. Nothing worked. She screamed in frustration, sat down and cried until she had no more tears left, then dry-eyed sat up and tried everything again, with the same results. With nothing left, no magic working, cold, tired, and utterly exhausted, Nita lay on the ground, wishing the silver wolf would return. Or that she had a heater. Or a fire.

"I could even _build_ a fire if I could see enough to find fire stuff… sticks or logs or pine needles…although I'd need a spark or something," she continued talking to herself, since no one else was around. "And I don't have any matches. Well if I could see, maybe I could find a rock. Isn't that what they use in the movies? Rocks? Flint, I guess. But that's a kind of rock. And then I could make a fire. No light here at _all_. Not even a candle – wait!" The memories of making images in the candleflame – last night? last week? – using Old Magic came back to her. "I wonder if I could make a fire with Old Magic. It wouldn't be that much harder than bending it into shapes, would it?" Excited by this new avenue, Nita tried what she could to use the Old Magic, but try as she might, no fire appeared. "I wish I had my jade with me." She grumbled aloud. Not that she knew how to use it, but at least it would have been something.

That thought led her back to 'where am I' musings. _After all_ she thought, _I did fall asleep with it in my hand. And now I'm awake, but its not here. So where am I? and where is the jade? _A thought struck her. _What if I never woke up? That wolf seemed to think I was in some in-between place, a place not quite in Death, but near it. And Tom did warn me about breaking through the Deeper walls. The rebound flung me out, not physically but mentally. My mind can't reach back to my body. I'm here but I can't access my own consciousness. I can't wake up. _Mental panic. _Crap, what do I do now? How am I supposed to get out of here? How can I let people know where I am?? I can't get out of my own head!!_ Nita tried to broadcast a general telepathic message, but hit the same problem as before. _That's right. I'm not attached to the rest of myself. I guess that's why my telepathy and my wizardry, and everything else doesn't work. Still. There's got to be _some_ way to contact people! I need some way to boost my power. I wonder if that jade would still work – I _am _technically in contact with it. I wonder if I could use it somehow. I think I'm still holding it. Well, it's worth a shot. Not like I have anything better to try. _

Nita shut her eyes and concentrated on sending power to the jade stone her hand. A faint green glow, and the stone appeared in her hand. "Yes!!" she exclaimed, punching a fist upwards, her other hand clutching the glowing rock tightly. Although the very faint glow was insufficient for her to make out anything of her surroundings, just that small bit of light made her feel better. For another several… minutes? hours? – She had no sense of time – Nita tried to use the piece of jade to boost her telepathy, with nothing she could call success. The best she got, was a faint sense of presence when she tried to reach Kit, but it felt strange – like she was trying to talk to him underwater, and she was sure if her mental message did get through at all that it was hopelessly scrambled. But it was her best hope of contacting the outside world, so she kept at it, until her jade's glow abruptly flickered, and then the stone itself disappeared, leaving her once again alone in the darkness.


	21. There and Back Again

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the book, that is all Diane Duane's, however everything else is mine - plot, a couple characters, etc. I'm not making any money off this, yaddah, yaddah, you know the drill…

Also: For anyone who wanted to know, this story is POST-Wizard's Dilemma, but PRE anything else… so that's why it doesn't follow anything from AWA and on… plus I think I got some timeline stuff mixed up while I was writing earlier stuff since I didn't have my books around while I was writing parts… safe to say the whole thing's gone rather AU, but I hope that won't keep ppl from reading it.

A/N: I realize its been INSANELY LONG since my last update -- my thanks to anyone who is still bothering to read my ramblings. I promise i'll get this wrapped up relatively soon. Probly within another four chapters. Hopefully it wont be another year before i update. anyways, shutting up now... plz review, as always! :) KS

( " " are spoken, italics are mindspeech, if the formatting holds... prays to the gods of MS word)

_**Chapter 20: There and Back Again**_

Dairine stopped in front of Kit's house. Electra looked at her. "Now what?" Dairine cast the wolfgirl a withering glare, then glanced around. The neighborhood was relatively empty. The only signs of life were an elderly woman attempting to trim her hedge and a fat cat sunning itself two porches over. Dairine muttered a few words under her breath, snapped her fingers, and walked up solidified air like a staircase to Kit's window. She paused at the casement and fiddled with the latch. Electra hung back until Dairine glared at her, and then she cautiously followed the young wizard into Kit's room.

Kit lay on the bed, sweat-soaked hair sticking up at odd angles. Ponch lay across his chest, the lab's broad black bulk softly moving as they breathed in sync. "He's stopped glowing," Electra observed.

"Apparently," Dairine said absently.

"Is that good?"

"I'm not sure." Dairine sat down on the bed beside Kit and Ponch. Spot hopped up beside her and she opened his screen and started tapping keys. "This would be so much easier if Ponch was awake," she grumbled. "What exactly did he say to you?"

"He said he was going to 'find Kit'…like he was lost or something."

"With Ponch, that could have any number of meanings, including the possibility of alternate dimensions. He'd just better not have landed his consciousness in some place I can't get to."

"There are places you can't get to?"

"Yes. Astounding as my abilities are, even I can't live in two dimensions," Dairine remarked dryly. "Or places with cyanide atmospheres, or numerous other conditions that make dimensions uninhabitable to humans. Some I can visit; some I can't. How much do you know about wizardry anyway?"

"Not much."

"How about this shapechanging business then? Don't you need wizardry for that?"

"You mean this?" Electra closed her eyes. Seconds later a large black wolf stood blinking its silver eyes where she had just been standing. _My father used to talk about wizardry sometimes. He said my mother was a wizard. I never met her though. She died – along with most of my family and, according to my father, most of my kind. I'm not sure exactly what happened. I know there was a big disaster, and that it killed a lot of people. I know a wizard was responsible for it, and for the death of my mother; my father never had much good to say about wizards, except for mother. I'm not sure about much else. Sometimes he changes things or adds things – and now he's not around to tell it at all. Electra blinked and shook her head. In any case I don't know if wizardry has anything to do with my change. But I'm not a wizard – at least I don't think I am – so it couldn't be, could it?_

Dairine frowned at Electra, and then tapped more of Spot's keys. "It would take a very powerful spell… I don't know if even I'd have the power levels needed for that kind of spell…to affect a whole race…I'm not even sure where to start – what exactly your change-spell was meant to do. May I?" she reached her hand toward the wolf's head.

Electra ducked the hand and stared at her warily. _What are you going to do?_

"I just want to see if there really is a wizardry that is tied to your wolf-shape. It might open some interesting possibilities." The wolf gave her a look. "I'm not going to hurt you," Dairine said acidly. "If I wanted to hurt you by now, you'd be in pain. I think – I think if there is some wizardry attached to your change, it _could_ have interacted with Kit's wizardry without you knowing, especially if you're not a wizard. Finding out how yours works – if it _is _in fact a spell – might help with figuring out what's wrong with Kit and how to fix it."

_Okay. Go ahead._

Dairine sank both hands into the thick fur of the black wolf's ruff and closed her eyes. The words of the interpretation spell she had chosen ran through her mind, and she tied her name to it and released it. Dairine hadn't been sure what kind of spell to use to try and understand another spell – at least she had assumed Electra's Change was the result of a spell – so she'd decided on a very basic interpretation spell. The wizardry flared, and both Electra, and Dairine's hands where she touched the wolf's fur, shone brightly with a fierce silver light. Dairine abruptly released Electra with a gasp and fell backward holding her head.

_What? What happened? Are you okay? _Electra dodged behind Dairine to keep her from hitting her head on the floor.

"Don't….talk…too loud…can't stop it now…" Dairine managed. A barrage of fractured images flew through her mind – a burning world, a war of magic, a malevolent shape surrounded by shadows with dripping bloody fangs, a surge of hope, a bright star in the heavens, pages of a book, a fusing of magics, a girl with silver-streaked black hair who morphed into a black wolf, a final explosion of light – and then the pressure abruptly left her mind and Electra's worried voice faded back in.

What the HELL just happened? the wolf demanded.

"I … I'm not sure. I've never really tried that before. I saw a lot of stuff, but I'm not really sure what any of it meant."

_Will any of it help Kit?_

"I don't know. What I do know is that your Change, if nothing else, is definitely a Wizard's spell, but I don't believe it directly had any effect on Kit's condition."

_So where does that leave us?_

"I don't know." Dairine sat up slowly and returned to tapping on Spot's keyboard. Electra paced nervously, and several moments later Dairine straightened. "I think I've got something."

Electra glanced at her hopefully.

"I'm gonna try a seeking spell with an anchor spell –" Dairine began, but was interrupted by a flash of green light from Kit's bed and a sudden flurry of motion. A furry black ball sprang up from its position on Kit's chest and abruptly threw itself across the room, knocking Spot across the room in the process. The laptop clicked and churred angrily at the dog before retreating to a safe position under Kit's computer desk. Ponch bounced around the room several more times, smashing bodily into Electra and Dairine before finally landing back on Kit's bed, where he stood over Kit as the groggy boy sat up dizzily and ran a hand through his hair.

_KIT!!_ the black wolf exclaimed joyfully as she joined Ponch on the bed.

"Owww… gerroff," Kit moaned, pushing them aside and falling back on his pillow. "I feel hungover or something. Powers, my head!" He took a look around then. "Dairine? What are you doing here?"

"Electra brought me," the young wizard replied. "She was afraid you'd gone and died or something. Speaking of which, you mind explaining what the bloody hell you were up to with this charade?"

"Love to, but I really don't know. Wasn't it just a nightmare? I mean, I was asleep… isn't that what usually happens when you sleep?"

"Uh, no. You were like, comatose. And glowing green."

_I couldn't find you._ Ponch added solemnly.

"Green…that was in my dream," Kit mused. "Maybe you can make some sense of it, Dair. I dreamed… I dreamed everything was green… and spinning. Ponch came with me. The world kept turning over and over and I couldn't think, couldn't focus… someone was trying to talk to me, I think, but I couldn't hear 'cuz they were mumbling, and there was too much green. I was so dizzy…then everything went dark and I woke up."

_She calls you. But she is too strong. Make you lost too._

"What? What do you mean?" Kit demanded, grabbing ahold of Ponch's ruff and looking the dog directly in his liquid brown eyes. "Who is 'calling' me? And how?"

_Her_. Ponch insisted. _Boss's lady._

"Nita?"

Ponch nodded.

"How is she calling me? I tried to get her through our telepathy – I couldn't reach her at all. And what did you mean she made me lost? How did you 'find' me then?"

_I went to the Elsewhere she called you to, and tried to bring you home, but the call was too strong. Not clear but strong. Much power but little focus. Couldn't break away – the call broke first._

"Is she ok? Is she hurt? Why was she calling me?"

Ponch looked away. _Don't know. Too far away. Can't hear. Sounded sad-scared._

"Does she need help?"

Ponch didn't answer.

"Well?"

Ponch shifted uncomfortably on his paws. _Don't know._ he replied finally.

Kit released him and Ponch slipped off the bed as his master leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Dairine? Any thoughts? Have you heard from Nita lately?"

"No…I thought you just got back from seeing her?"

"Yeah I did…. Dammit. I think I need to go back. I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"But what about …?" Dairine trailed off and cast pointed glances.

"It doesn't matter. Nita is _my_ partner. Not that I don't trust Ronan to take care of her, but … well, I _don't_ trust him to take care of her. I can't leave her. Even if he's supposed to be her partner for this, even if she never wants to talk to me again, if something's wrong, if she's hurt or if anything's happened to her… I need to be with her. I need to help her." He sighed heavily.

Dairine gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Go. I'll hold the fort here. I'm set up already. _And_ I'll hang onto wolfy here for you." She cast a do-not-argue-with-me glance at both Kit and Electra.

Kit looked away. "Dairine –"

"No. I'm putting my foot down on this one."

"But-"

Dairine pointed to her face, "Resolve face. Don't even try. Now. Get. Going."

Kit looked at Electra, but she didn't offer any argument or insist on coming along. He looked back at Dairine. "Alright, alright. You win. Take good care of her ok, spitfire?" he ruffled Dairine's dark hair. "I have a feeling we're going to need her later."

"Roger that," Dairine replied sourly, trying to reorganize her hair. And then just as he turned away and stepped out the window, she grabbed his arm, "Be careful?" Kit just smiled and nodded, and stepped down onto a solid air step above the front lawn.

Down on the lawn, Kit used his beam-me-up-scotty spell to transport himself to the edge of the park, where materials from his previous transport spell were still set up. He was halfway through preparations for another transport spell to Ireland when a wet nose snuffled its way into the back of his shirt. "Ahhh!" he spun around. "Ponch?! What are you doing here?"

_Coming with you. _the dog replied amiably.

"No, you're not! Go home before someone misses you!"

_Coming. It was not a question._

"You didn't want to come before. What's going on, Ponch?" Kit asked suspiciously.

_Just coming. Boss might need help._

Kit gave up and wrote his dog's name into the nearly finished spell and signed his own name. "Alright," he told the unrepentant animal. "But if you try anything funny and I'm sending you back. Now, hold on."

* * *

Ronan sat in the hall outside Nita's room. He couldn't face the dining room table with its piles of books and parchments without Nita's help. Neither could he sit _in _Nita's room and look at her, locked up inside a time-stopping spell. And he wasn't any help with Aunt Annie's research; she was downstairs in the kitchen pouring through books on medical care for wizards, and older tomes, certainly of Old Magic, as well as calling anyone she knew that could possibly help. So far she hadn't had any luck with any of the higher up wizards. Any high ranking wizards of any power were all out dealing with the ongoing outbreaks of mythical creatures. The isolated incidents had become regular occurrences and now required the full attention of most active wizards. The ones that weren't involved in cleanup task forces weren't any help either, being preoccupied with research, or unfamiliar with any spells that would help. It was the worst feeling – to be so useless. He had helped to power the spell that was keeping Nita in stasis, but it would not last forever. And he wasn't even sure how much longer he'd be around. The incident with the banshee weighed on the back of his mind. Ronan's indecision was abruptly interrupted by an insistent ringing of the doorbell. He was downstairs and had the door open before he'd even really noticed what he was doing.

"Where's Nita?" Kit burst out, before Ronan could get a word out. Ronan just moved out of the doorway and pointed mutely upstairs. Kit pushed past him and took the stairs two at a time with Ponch a black shadow at his heels. He burst into Nita's room and approached the bed carefully, feeling the weight of wizardry in the air surrounding her. "What's wrong with her?" Kit didn't even bother to glance behind him at the doorway where he knew Ronan was standing.

"We don't know. She just stopped breathing. We barely had time to hold her in this state. Aunt Annie's trying to figure out what happened to her. We think she might have been trying to work some of the Old Magic… but we're not sure what happened to her."

"I happened," Kit said softly, barely audibly. He reached over and took her hand. It felt wrong; cold and lifeless, frozen in a moment – but more than that. It lacked some vital essence that was Nita, that was always present even when she was sleeping or unconscious – an essence that was currently absent from the Nita he saw before him. "I did this. Great Powers, Nita. Where did I send you? How can I get you back?"

Ronan stood behind Kit and silently put his hand on the other's shoulder, sharing their common grief and putting aside petty jealousies and rivalry in their united wish to see Nita recovered. Kit squeezed his eyes shut, but even that could not stop a few silver tears from tracing their way down his face before landing on a green stone on the floor. Swiping his shirt sleeve over his face, Kit attempted to get his emotions under control.

"Can't you… can't you try and talk to her?" Kit turned to stare at Ronan. "I know that you can talk mind to mind," the other went on. "She'd get all spacey in the middle of whatever we were doing, and she never really said much, but I knew she was talking to you. Can't you reach her? Wherever she's gone? Can't you bring her back? You're her partner, aren't you?"

Kit slowly shook his head. "She broke our connection. I can't find her anymore. I can't hear her… its all just empty space. Like someone not only hung up the phone but cut the powerlines. And our partnership… the manual… when we were listed for this assignment. It's all a mess! I – its all my fault!" he cursed violently in Spanish and then turned back and buried his face in Nita's pillow. "It's my fault she's like this – it happened when she broke our connection! She saw me, she _was_ me…just for a few seconds but I guess that was enough. I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

A muffled thump sounded beside him, and Kit looked up into Ronan's face. "Look at me," Ronan grabbed Kit's shoulders and shook him. "We do not have time for apologies and pity parties. You screwed up. That sucks. But its in the past now, and no matter how much I'd like to take your face off for being a part of hurting Nita – " Ronan's eyes flashed and his jaw clenched, his grip on Kit's shoulders tightening. He paused several seconds before continuing, "as much as I'd like to, I won't. Because there's more important things going on here than my personal agenda. Things that are bigger and more important than your issues, more than your partnership, more than my issues. The world is at stake. Literally. The galaxy is at stake! More lives than I could ever imagine! More than I want to imagine because if I could, I'd be too terrified by the responsibility and weight of it all to do anything at all! But we have to. We're the only ones who can, the only ones who know enough. The powers chose us – us! To act. Here. Now. And we need her. She's the key. I don't know exactly what parts we're all supposed to play in this, and I have a feeling you're gonna be involved too, but we're all here now and we're here for a reason and its gonna take all of us to get out alive, and I'll be damned if I sit here and watch it all fall to pieces now. You're her partner. You'd be her lover if you weren't blind, and such a bloody idiot. Get it together, do what you must, but bring her back. I don't care how, or what you need to do. If you need my help, it's yours for the asking, but get her back."

Kit's black eyes meet Ronan's grey ones with a look of steely resolve. "We'll get her back." Ronan held out his right hand, and Kit gripped it.

"Truce?" the former asked.

The question was met with a firm nod. Ronan stood and moved to pull Kit to his feet. "Wait," Kit said suddenly, catching sight of the jade on the floor. "What?" Ronan inquired, kneeling back down on the floor beside Kit.

"What is this?" Kit reached over to pick up the stone, but the second his hand seized it, he dropped it like it was on fire. His hands went to his head and he screamed before slumping senseless to the floor. Ronan caught him before his head hit the floor, and reached over with his other hand to pick up the jade from the floor. Still holding the unconscious Kit, he turned it over in his hand. "By all the Powers… what in the nine hells _is_ this thing?"

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been waiting in the darkness. Time didn't exist here. And then, a green flame burst to life in the darkness and Nita's heart leaped with joy. "Oh thank the Powers!" She immediately poured all her long hours? – Days? Weeks? – of waiting into that faint light, sending out desperate telepathic messages, trying to send her thoughts, words, power, anything, everything; channeling it all towards that one flicker of hope. She reached out towards it with everything she had, and was abruptly abandoned as the light was once again extinguished.

* * *

Kit opened his eyes and sat up, then groaned as his head pounded and his eyes swam. He tried to stay upright but finally sank back down on the couch.

"You're awake." Ronan's voice.

"More or less," Kit grimaced, gingerly making a second attempt at sitting up, this one much slower.

"What happened?"

"I don't – I don't really know. I saw that green rock on the floor and went to pick it up, but when I touched it my head … exploded."

"Looks intact to me," the other boy remarked dryly.

"I mean telepathically." Kit's brow furrowed. "It was like getting hit with a – a thought bomb? For lack of a better term… Just… a million thoughts and images. Too many to decipher any one of them, but I got a sort of overwhelming sense of … loneliness. And green…" He sat a few more minutes, contemplating, and then looked at Ronan with a wild gleam in his eye. "Where did you put that rock?"

"It's right here. I tried to figure out what had knocked you out, but it didn't do anything when I picked it up – Hey! Where are you going with that?"

Kit snatched the jade from his hand and raced back upstairs. He burst into Nita's room, and carefully opening her hand, he placed the jade in it, and closed his own hand over top, enclosing the stone between their hands. _Nita! Nita, can you hear me?_ _**If there is a God out there, please please please let her hear me…Powers, please let this work!** Nita!_

Nothing.

_NITA!_

Nothing.

_Neets? Please? I – I need you… please… answer me!_

Very very faintly, as though across a very far distance, and faintly blurred as though coming through water or some other thick medium, _Kit? Is that you?_

Kit sighed in relief and offered up thanks to whatever deity had answered his fervent prayers. _Nita it's me! Great powers its good to hear your voice! What's happened to you? Where are you? Can you get back?_

_I – I don't know where I am. It's dark. And cold. And I don't know how to get back. I'm lost, Kit! So lost! Can you bring me back? I want to come home!_

He could feel her fear and longing and ached to do something about it. _Just hang on! We'll find some way to get you back! I promise!_

_Wait! Don't leave me!_

_Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere_ Kit sent waves of comfort and assurance through the faint link, unsure of how much of it would reach her, but desperate to do something to alleviate the edge of desperation in her voice at the thought that he would leave.

Kit opened his eyes and saw Ronan in the doorway. "Well?" he asked.

"I've got her."

Ronan's eyes brightened. "And?"

"She's alone and she's scared and she doesn't know how to get back. But all I can do is talk to her! I don't know how to bring her back!"

That is my work. A black shadow pushed past Ronan and made its way across the room, leaping up on 'top of the bed and laying down on Nita's chest.

"Ponch? What are you doing?" Kit went to pull his dog off Nita, but the lab pushed his hands away.

_I will fetch her back._

"How - ?" Kit wanted to know, but Ponch only shook his head and settled himself, touching his nose to the green jade still clasped between Kit and Nita's hands.

_Wait here. Back soon. _Ponch closed his eyes and Kit sat down on the bed, holding Nita's hand and wondering what would happen next. He didn't have to wait long.

The wards surrounding Nita broke with an audible snap; the floorboards cracking along the lines of Aunt Annie's diagrams, causing a whirling storm of wizardly energy. The power leaking from the broken lock made the whole house shudder with the violence with which it escaped, and for a moment everything was light and sound. Kit threw himself over Ponch and Nita's inert forms as the whole room shook with all the frightening intensity of a severe earthquake. Finally, the house settled and Kit rose to a sitting position, coughing on air thick with dust and power. He was vaguely aware of Ronan, who was still standing in the doorway and also bent over and coughing, but his attention was swiftly stolen by Ponch, who opened his eyes and gave Kit a lazy smile before jumping off the bed.

_She is fetched. Head and heart and body together again. Good? Yes?_

"What – ?" Kit began, but then he felt Nita's fingers squeeze his own, and his heart fluttered. "Neets?" he asked aloud, "Are you with us?"

"Kit?" was her response.

_You did good, Ponch. Really good. _Kit praised his dog, who looked very pleased with himself, and then returned his attention to Nita. "Neets! Powers, I'm glad you're back!" He crushed her to his chest and hid his face in her hair, then pulled back and held her at arms length just to assure himself she was really there before hugging her close again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it; I didn't mean for this to happen! Can you ever forgive me?"

"Kit! Kit," Nita returned his hug and then put her hands on his chest and pushed him back enough so she could see his face. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm back now. And… I forgive you."

Kit's whole form relaxed in relief. "You do? Really? Honestly?"

"Of course. You're my partner. And my best friend. And you came to get me – or sent Ponch at least. You didn't leave me to get swallowed up by the darkness."

"But Electra – "

"What about her?"

"She – I – what you saw, when you were in my mind… I know you saw, well, everything. I just want you to know… it meant nothing to me. She isn't what I want, she isn't…" he shook his head in frustration. "It's you, Neets. It's always been you. I always meant to tell you and then I never did, and now, now I almost lost you and it scared me out of my wits! We do this every day – this big wizardry stuff – and the thought that one day I'd lose you, that I'd have to go on without you, and even worse, that something had happened to you and it was my fault… I couldn't bear it. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I – I love you." He looked down, but felt Nita's hands on either side of his face and raised his gaze to meet hers.

"Kit," Nita said softly, slowly, "I thought I'd never hear you say that. But I'm glad you did. I love you too. I always have. And I'm sorry for scaring you." Impulsively, Nita pressed her lips to his forehead. Kit responded by tangling his fingers in her hair and pulling her lips down to meet his. Pleasantly surprised, Nita sank into his kiss, only to be interrupted by a cough from the doorway.

"Um, should I leave now? Or shall we get back to saving the world?"

"Ronan!" Nita exclaimed.

Ronan entered the room, running a shaking hand though his hair and making it stand on end in messy spikes. He stood shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot at the side of Nita's bed, before finally reaching between her and Kit to give her a swift hug and then stepped back again. "I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks."

"Are you alright?" he asked roughly.

"Okay, I think. Better, now that I'm not in the dark and cold. And that I can feel myself again." She flexed her hands and stared at them contemplatively. "It was so weird… being lost in my own mind," Nita hugged her legs to her chest, sitting back on the bed. "I never want to feel like that again." She stared vacantly into space for several long minutes before shaking her head, as if to rid it of lingering thoughts. "Now then, I think we still had some more research to do?" Ronan nodded an affirmative, and Nita gave Kit a questioning look.

"Don't look at me; I'm not leaving you til this is all over. Lets go save the world."


End file.
